Late goals from Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford earned Barcelona a hard-fought 2–0 victory over third-tier Guadalajara on Tuesday, securing the Catalans’ place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona dominated possession at the Pedro Escartín Stadium, controlling more than 80 per cent of the ball, but found it difficult to break down a well-organised Guadalajara side that defended in numbers.
Despite their status as clear underdogs, the hosts remained competitive throughout, posing a regular threat on the counter-attack and frustrating the European giants for long periods.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 77th minute when Frenkie de Jong delivered a pinpoint cross from the right. Centre-back Andreas Christensen climbed above the defence to meet it, with his header taking a deflection off Julio Martínez before finding the back of the net.
Guadalajara’s resistance was finally ended in stoppage time as Barcelona capitalised on the space left behind. Lamine Yamal threaded a perfectly weighted through-ball into the path of Marcus Rashford.
The England international kept his composure, shifting the ball onto his left foot to wrong-foot goalkeeper Dani Vicente before rolling a calm finish into the empty net to seal the win for Barcelona.
