The north of Seville became for a few hours a part of Gipuzkoa. Real Sociedad won their fourth Copa del Rey at the La Cartuja stadium, after beating Atlètic de Madrid in a penalty shootout after a match that ended in a two-goal draw. Simeone's team, defeated, will now focus on trying to win the Champions League for the first time after falling against the Basques, who repeat the success of the 2021 Copa final in the same venue, although then they did it without fans as it was during the pandemic. On this occasion, the loyal followers of the Txuri-Urdin team were able to witness it live.

The north of Seville became, for a few hours, part of Gipuzkoa. Real Sociedad won their fourth Copa del Rey at the La Cartuja stadium, after beating Atlético de Madrid in a penalty shootout following a match that ended in a two-goal draw. Simeone's team, defeated, will now focus on trying to win the Champions League for the first time after falling to the Basques, who repeat the success of the 2021 Copa final in the same venue, although then they did it without fans, as it was during the pandemic. On this occasion, the loyal followers of the txuri-urdin team were able to experience it live.

Barça's heart beat until the very last minute, until the last contested ball, until the last breath of the last fan who, like all the players on their team, believed until the final whistle (3-0). Hansi Flick's players demonstrated unwavering faith, spurred on by more than 45,000 souls who accompanied them in a comeback attempt as quixotic as it was dreamt of. Marc Bernal, with a brace and a performance that cemented his status as a midfielder of the present and future, and Raphinha, after a penalty won by Pedri, who is already an integral part of the club's identity, fueled hopes that didn't translate into a ticket to the Copa del Rey final, but which are a testament to the immeasurable pride of a team. They couldn't overturn the 4-0 deficit from a disastrous first leg, but they did regain the confidence to walk with their heads held high until the end of the season.

What a first half. What a disaster. Just when Barça seemed to be on a roll, a painful defeat. Perhaps if Cubarsí's goal hadn't been disallowed, a comeback might still have been possible, but we have to believe there was an offside. But it's hard to believe. Nevertheless, we must continue to believe in this team despite the shipwreck. It's not the time to throw everything away, even though it's difficult after watching a match best forgotten.

Barça suffered a fatal blow in the Copa del Rey after falling 4-0 at Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals. The result was as decisive as it was brutal for a team that lacked resources in both attack and defense. The home side, with a very physical and experienced style of play, sealed the match and the tie with four goals in the first half of a game in which, incredibly, the final scoreline even flattered a rival that, with no chance in La Liga and doubts in Europe, clung to the Copa del Rey as its only real hope.

Barça will play Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. After eliminating Guadalajara (0-2) from the Primera Federación and Racing de Santander (0-2) and Albacete (1-2) From the Second Division, the Blaugrana will have to overcome Atlético Madrid to reach the final in Seville. "It will be a very important match; we're really looking forward to the tie. The great thing about the Cup is that everyone can compete against everyone; Albacete eliminated Real Madrid," commented Balde before learning who their opponent would be. The first leg will be played on February 10, 11, or 12 in Madrid, while the second leg will be played on March 3, 4, or 5 at the Camp Nou. The other Copa del Rey tie will be between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad.

Barça are through to the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Blaugrana eliminated Albacete (1-2) but suffered until the very last minute, when Gerard Martín cleared a shot off the goal line to prevent extra time. Here are some immediate highlights.

Not far from the statue commemorating the moment when Andrés Iniesta, a son of Albacete, decided the World Cup final, Lamine Yamal worked his magic. The Carlos Belmonte stadium, which evokes memories of the 90s for those of a certain age, joins the list of venues where the genius from Rocafonda has displayed his brilliance. Just before halftime of an uncomfortable first half, marked by numerous fouls and a lot of noise, he stopped time to gently chip the ball past the home goalkeeper. It was the beginning of the end for Albacete's resistance in a match where Ronald Araujo seemed the happiest. The Uruguayan, a starter in the match that opened the door to the Copa del Rey semifinals for Barça, headed in the second goal, celebrating with a hug from Hansi Flick, the manager who has unconditionally supported him through tough times. It was a special moment.

Barça will play Albacete in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. They are the only Second Division team remaining in the competition, and they do so precisely after having Real Madrid defeated in the previous round. This makes the tie between the Albacete team and the Blaugrana the most intriguing of the quarterfinals, which are still being played as single-leg matches. The match, which will take place on February 4th or 5th, will be played at the Carlos Belmonte stadium, as it is a lower-division venue.

Racing Santander and FC Barcelona will face off today, January 15th, at the Sardinero stadium (9 pm) in a Copa del Rey Round of 16 match. Racing, leaders of LaLiga Hypermotion, hope to continue dreaming of a great night at home and repeat feats like their elimination against Villarreal in the previous round (2-1). Barça will be looking to defend their title and advance to the quarterfinals. Racing has not won any of their last four league matches, while Barça has racked up 10 consecutive victories in all competitions. José Alberto's team is coming off a loss against Zaragoza (2-3), while Hansi Flick's side recently lifted the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid (3-2). Both Racing and Barça are top of their respective leagues. Racing will be without the injured Asier Villalibre, while Barça will be missing Andreas Christensen and Pablo Gavi. Frenkie de Jong will be unavailable due to suspension after being sent off in Saudi Arabia. The big news in the squad is João Cancelo, who could make his debut under Flick.

The Copa del Rey round of 16 tie between Racing Santander and Barça has become one of the most anticipated matches of the round. The first leg will be played this Thursday, January 15th, at 9:00 PM at El Sardinero stadium, a venue steeped in history. Although the two teams haven't faced each other frequently in recent years due to the difference in leagues, they have met a total of 100 times in official competitions: Barça has won 62 of those matches, Racing 17, and 21 have ended in a draw. In terms of goals, Barça's superiority is also evident: 240 goals for Barça compared to only 103 for the Cantabrian side. In the Copa del Rey, the record also favors Barça. The two teams have played each other a dozen times in this competition, with nine wins for Barça, one draw, and only two victories for Racing. Furthermore, Barça has scored almost three times as many goals as their rival in these encounters. Racing was relegated to the Second Division in the 2011-12 season, and since then the two teams have not faced each other. This makes Thursday's match a highly anticipated reunion, especially for the home fans, who see the Cup as a unique opportunity to compete against one of the giants of Spanish football.

Barça have reached the Copa del Rey round of 16 after defeating Guadalajara 2-0 in a single-leg tie that had everything. From an unexpected starter to chaos in the stands. With no goals in the first half, strikes from Christensen and Rashford tipped the scales after the break in a match that started half an hour late due to a security issue in the stands that even threatened to be suspended. In the end, the home club managed to resolve the problem in record time.

"We haven't decided yet. It's not the day to make any decisions. I want to wait until tomorrow," said Hansi Flick before his Barça side's first Copa del Rey match of the season. The question—or rather, questions, because he dodged four in a row on the subject right at the start of the press conference—was about the goalkeeper position. In La Liga and the Champions League, the spot is well covered by Joan Garcia, "the number one" according to the German coach. However, in the Copa del Rey, the player from Sallent will initially rest, which makes Tuesday's round of 32 tie in Guadalajara (9 p.m., Movistar) a match that could definitively confirm his ostracism. Marc-André ter Stegen, a captain in a slump.

They insisted so much with the Spanish teacher that she finally gave in and granted them permission to project. the Cup draw in class. However, these draws always drag on, so the bell rang and he ran down the hall to his father's Seat, parked in front of the school. He opened YouTube on his phone and they relived one of the most special moments of his life together. "It was an explosive, crazy moment. We hugged and both cried," explains Dani Díaz Leceta (1979), the father, the delegate for Barça's opponent this Tuesday (9 p.m., Movistar) in the round of 32, Guadalajara.

Barça now knows its opponent for the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey. It will be Guadalajara, who compete in the Primera RFEF and have never faced the Blaugrana before. This was decided in the draw held this Tuesday in Las Rozas. Hansi Flick's team, who entered the competition at this round as one of the four playing in the Supercopa, will begin their title defense on December 17 at 9 pm.

Espanyol's run in the Copa del Rey lasted just two matches. Manolo González's team was eliminated from the tournament after losing by a single goal. at the Atlético Baleares field, A rival playing two divisions below, in the Segunda RFEF. A goal by Jaume Tovar in the 54th minute was enough to defeat Espanyol, who have now fallen in the early rounds for two consecutive seasons against a theoretically weaker opponent. Last season It was Barbastro who led them to make a fool of themselves, although in that case the team was not doing as well in the League as this year.

In the 2018-2019 season, he played for Sant Andreu and earned 700 euros, which he spent almost entirely on gas. In the mornings, he took a lifeguard course at the Manlleu swimming pool, ate a packed lunch in the driver's seat of his gray Seat Ibiza at a rest stop along the C-17 highway, trained in the afternoons at the Narcís Sala stadium, and arrived back in Osona after dark. This Thursday, Ferran Jutglà returns to his old neighborhood as a Celta Vigo player. From playing for Sant Andreu against a La Liga team to playing for a La Liga team against Sant Andreu. "I'm very happy. I was really looking forward to playing Sant Andreu. It's a very special match for me," the striker from Sant Julià de Vilatorta (1999) explained to ARA, just hours before the second-round Copa del Rey match between the two sides (9 pm, Catalunya 2).

Girona hasn't learned its lesson, repeating last year's Copa del Rey debacle. It wasn't Logroñés, but Ourense, from the Primera RFEF, who knocked Míchel's team out of the competition (2-1). Even the presence of regular substitutes and youth team players couldn't excuse the poor performance of a side that conceded a goal in the first minute and hit the post in the final play of the game, a shot that would have sent the match to extra time. To add insult to injury, they lost Abel Ruiz to injury. The striker left the field in tears just after the half-hour mark.

Manolo González will reunite this Thursday with Luis Blanco, his assistant at Espanyol during their time in the Second Division. Blanco is the coach of Atlético Baleares, in the Second Division RFEF, which, although it has never reached the First Division, is a historic club in Mallorca. one of the few of proletarian origin that remain in Spanish football.

From Bahía del Vallés to Broadway. And from there in the province of Murcia. Antonio Díaz Cascajosa, better known as The Magician PopHe is one of Catalonia's most celebrated artists. The illusionist, television presenter, and businessman from the Vallès region—he owns the Victoria Theatre in Barcelona and the Encore in Branson, Missouri—has also owned a football team since 2020: CD Cieza, a modest club from Murcia in the Third Division RFEF, which faces Levante this Wednesday. King's Cup