Sevilla double leaves Barca with mountain to climb
Barcelona's hopes of winning the Copa del Rey this year were left hanging by a thread on Wednesday after Sevilla won the primary leg of their semi-final 2-0.
Jules Kounde furthered his developing reputation among the world's most exciting central defenders by scoring a stunning goal in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan before Ivan Rakitic returned to haunt his former club by adding another late on.
The 22-year-old Kounde dribbled past three Barca defenders and shot in to the corner while Rakitic's strike turned a setback for Ronald Koeman's side into what now appears like a formidable challenge to help make the final.
The winner will meet either Athletic Bilbao or Levante, who play the first leg of their semi on Thursday, in the final.
"The result is somewhat unfair, the prize feels too much for them," said Koeman. "The come back will be confusing at 2-0 but we've had probabilities and we must keep going. At home, this staff is with the capacity of anything."
Koeman had described the glass as Barcelona's "shortest way" to a good trophy this term and the view of Kounde ghosting through his defence hardly inspires self-confidence ahead of next week's meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.
Barca face PSG at Camp Nou in the initial leg of the Champions League previous 16 on Tuesday.
Yet all isn't lost in the glass. Although Koeman fielded his greatest obtainable XI, after resting players against Real Betis in La Liga last weekend, he'll also hope to have harmed defenders obtainable again for the go back video game at Camp Nou on March 3.
With Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique out, Koeman played a patched-up back four of Jordi Alba at left-back, the left-footed Junior Firpo at right-back, right-back Oscar Mingueza at centre-back, alongside Samuel Umtiti, who is still regaining sharpness after a string of injuries.
Sevilla have 'hardest fifty percent' to come
"We happen to be halfway through the tie with the hardest half to come," explained Sevilla instructor Julen Lopetegui.
Lionel Messi was calm but forced a decent conserve from Bono early on after a superb go by Antoine Griezmann, with Sevilla the better side found in the first 1 / 2 and deserving their target.
Kounde carried the ball out from deep found in his own 1 / 2 and bounced the ball off Suso before advancing into Barcelona's defensive third.
He ghosted history Griezmann, darted interior Sergio Busquets and with Alba dragged left, nicked it around the legs of Umtiti before traveling into the far corner to complete a beautiful individual effort.
Barca had Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank for denying Sergio Escudero a second but neither area looked keen to risk conceding by pressing too hard for an objective after half-time.
But Sevilla were gifted 1 with five minutes still left as Oliver Torres' ball over the top freed Rakitic, who had options interior. Rakitic went by itself, blasting into the roof of the web and refusing to celebrate, but putting Sevilla around the corner of the final.
