Barcelona weren’t flashy, but they still dominated and defeated Racing Santander 2–0 in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on Thursday night.
The La Liga 2 table-toppers started the game with intensity and looked threatening, but Barcelona would eventually take control of the match. Hansi Flick’s side was contained throughout the opening hour, but eventually it was Ferran Torres who scored the match-winner midway through the second half.
It was a valiant effort from Racing, who even had a golden opportunity to equalize in stoppage time, but they shockingly squandered the chance. The defending Copa del Rey champions had enough and Lamine Yamal scored the second in the ensuing action to secure the result.
After Real Madrid exited the competition a day prior, Barcelona were obligated not to suffer a similar fate. Although it wasn’t without a nervous ending, Barça avoided catastrophe and deservedly advanced to the quarterfinals.
Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Racing (4-3-3)
GK: Joan García—8.2: Barely had to break a sweat after the opening 10 minutes where he claimed the ball with precision in the air on three occasions. Then had to become the hero with a crucial intervention in stoppage time on a one-vs-one situation.
RB: Jules Koundé—7.9: A very promising performance from Koundé, who nullified Íñigo Sainz-Maza and reached the byline with menace, overlapping Lamine Yamal on countless occasions.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.6: A mature showing from the teenager that imposed his will on Racing attackers with tremendous poise. Flawless on the ball as always.
CB: Gerard Martín—7.5: Kept his cool and handled Racing’s press, fearlessly playing through it with skill and precision to start attacks. Once again, his positioning remains impressive for a player that isn’t a natural center back.
LB: Alejandro Balde—6.9: Not as involved in attack as he would’ve liked, with Rashford blocking his avenue down the left flank. Defensively he responded whenever he was called into action.
CM: Dani Olmo—7.4: Had a handful of nice touches and dribbles that unfortunately didn’t translate into more danger, but he was one of the most active and precise Barça players in the final third. Influence dropped after the restart.
CM: Marc Bernal—6.9: Quietly good. Barcelona looked at their best when Bernal was involved in the build-up, though he did have a couple of uncharacteristic erratic passes. Will be frustrated at being hooked soon after the restart.
CM: Marc Casadó—7.5: Though he doesn’t look as comfortable on the ball as he did a season ago, Casadó had a number of crucial defensive interventions that thwarted what could’ve been very dangerous Racing counter attacks.
RW: Lamine Yamal—8.6: The best player on the pitch. Mario García will have nightmares after Yamal toyed with him with tremendous ease. Should’ve had a couple of assists but was rewarded with a goal with the final kick of the game.
ST: Ferran Torres—7.8: Torres was another spectator for much of the contest, registering just 16 touches on the night. However, his final one was the most important one as it broke the deadlock.
LW: Marcus Rashford—7.3: Was more involved than in recent appearances and was involved in dangerous Barça attempts. Still, he continues to lack sharpness in the final action.
| Substitutes | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Fermín López (58’ for Bernal) | 7.4 |
| Raphinha (67’ for Rashford) | 7.2 |
| Pedri (68’ for Olmo) | 6.5 |
| Robert Lewandowski (68’ for Torres) | 6.4 |
| Eric García (84’ for Casadó) | N/A |
Subs not used: Marc-André ter Stegen(GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), João Cancelo, Ronald Araújo, Tommy Marques, Roony Bardghji.
Racing (4-4-2)
Starting XI: Jokin Ezkieta; Álvaro Mantilla, Javier Castro, Manu, Mario García; Suleiman Camara, Aritz Aldasoro, Maguette Gueye, Íñigo Sainz-Maza; Juan Carlos Arana, Giorgi Guliashvili.
Subs used: Manex Lozano, Damián Rodríguez, Marco Sangalli, Íñigo Vicente, Andrés Martín.
Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Racing 0–2 Barcelona—How It Unfolded at Campos de Sport de El Sardinero
Barcelona were greeted with a guard of honor from Racing players as a result of their recent Spanish Super Cup triumph. But the environment quickly turned hostile as Racing pressured energetically in the opening exchanges, overwhelming Barcelona early and feeding off the energy from a frenetic crowd at El Sardinero.
After withstanding the early onslaught, Barcelona assumed full control and began tilting the pitch in their favor. Yet scoring opportunities were hard to come by for Flick’s men, and bypassing Racing’s intense high-press remained a grind.
The visitors improved after the 30 minute mark, but failed to seriously threaten Racing’s goal, with a lack of sharpness in the final third and poor finishes hindering Barça. It took until the 43rd minute when Marcus Rashford tried his luck to register their first shot on goal.
Barcelona failed to translate their control of the game into goals and the match went scoreless into halftime.
Flick’s men upped the pressure after the restart, and Rashford nearly put Barça in front after a stellar pass from Lamine Yamal, but a sensational save from Jokin Ezkieta denied the England international from the opener.
Ferran Torres delivers when it counts! 🦈 pic.twitter.com/XSvzymY8t6
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 15, 2026
Yamal began to single-handedly pick apart Racing’s defense, and the hosts started to look increasingly nervous defensively. The teenage sensation nearly scored an Olimpico from a corner, but the ball hit the crossbar to deny what would’ve been a beauty.
But only two minutes later, Fermín López played a brilliant through ball for Ferran Torres, who got around the goalkeeper and finally fired Barcelona in front with his 15th goal of the season and final kick of the game before getting hooked.
Racing thought they scored an equalizer with under 15 minutes left, but it was correctly waved off for offsides much to the displeasure of the supporters in attendance. Soon after, Ezkieta produced a jaw-dropping double save to deny López and then Robert Lewandowski to keep hopes of an equalizer alive.
The hosts ventured forward and although they once again found the back of the net, the goal was called off for a clear offsides. Barcelona’s inability to double their lead saw them experience a nervous end of the game and, deep into stoppage time, Joan García had to be the hero as he saved a one-on-one situation against Manex Lozano.
The major scare shook Barcelona, who responded by putting together a well-crafted counter attack that was finished off by Yamal scoring a second to clinch the victory and qualification with the final kick of the game.
Racing vs. Barcelona Halftime Stats
| Statistic | Racing | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 18% | 82% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.24 | 0.26 |
| Total Shots | 2 | 5 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 52% | 87% |
| Fouls | 8 | 5 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
Racing vs. Barcelona Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Racing | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 23% | 77% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.91 | 2.23 |
| Total Shots | 6 | 17 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 7 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 6 |
| Pass Accuracy | 63% | 88% |
| Fouls | 13 | 11 |
| Corners | 3 | 10 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Racing: Barca Survive and Advance in Copa del Rey.
