The day Barça turned El Sardinero into a slaughterhouse

BarcelonaThe 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.

After fifteen years far from the top flight, the Cantabrians dream of a return to La Liga, which is closer than ever. Racing leads the Liga Hypermotion with 38 points, although the team's performance has dipped in recent weeks, despite defeating Villarreal 2-1 in the Cup.

The sacred date in Santander

In the collective memory of matches between Barça and Racing, there's a key date: February 11, 1995. Thirty-one years ago, a match remembered positively in Santander and negatively by Barça fans, as it marked the beginning of the end for Johan Cruyff's victorious era on the Barça bench. That Barça side, fresh from winning four consecutive league titles and lifting the European Cup at Wembley, began to see the Dream Team's dream crumble at El Sardinero. The 5-0 defeat buried their chances of retaining the title, with Real Madrid pulling seven points clear when victories were still worth two. One of the protagonists of that night was Lluís Carreras, a product of La Masia and at the time a Racing player. Thirty-one years later, the memory remains vivid, although the passage of time has blurred some details. "My memory needs to be aided by the press coverage of that day," Carreras admits to ARA. "I remember the starting lineups, but not all the goals exactly," he adds. The former footballer and coach emphasizes that the atmosphere was "special" for days beforehand. "The fact that we were playing against Barça and I was playing against my own team added an extra element," he says. Once the match began, everything flowed in favor of the Cantabrian team, at that time managed by Vicente Miera. "During the match, imagine... Goal after goal. We were very motivated that day, and everything went smoothly," he recalls.

The crank The 5-0 defeat came with goals from Esteban Torre, Quique Setién, Jesús Marino, and a brace from Dmitri Radchenko, one of them a penalty, which led to the expulsion of Barça goalkeeper Carles Busquets. Carreras also contextualizes that loss within the context of Barça's situation at the time. "Big teams, from time to time, experience dips in performance, and that season I think we also lacked quality," he says. A feeling that would be confirmed months later: "The following year there were many changes, especially with the incorporation of homegrown players."

That 5-0 defeat marked a turning point for Barça. Cruyff, who would remain on the bench for another season, explained the defeat in the press conference: "Losing 1-0 is the same as losing 5-0. Results like this hurt a lot, especially when you see that you're technically superior to the opponent, but they expend much more energy on the pitch and perform at over 100%. What I perhaps have to do, even though I don't like it, is make decisions. There are many here who hide, and you can't always be laughing." Hours later, Joan Gaspart took a swipe at the coach: "I'm ashamed, and I think all Barcelona fans will be. It's an unacceptable and undignified result for a club like Barça. Losing 1-0 is not the same as losing 5-0, because with the first result you fight to draw. To not see that is to deny it." Cruyff finished the season and began the next with new signings, such as Luís Figo, Meho Kodro, and Gica Popescu. He also benefited from the support of the Quinta del Mini. However, the Dutchman ended up being sacked two matchdays before the end of the season. Josep Lluís Núñez's press conference explaining the decision, that of the "bloodsand the "reason for cessation", it's Barça history.