5 Matches That Sum Up Barcelona's Brilliant Season

Modified May 08, 2018 08:28 GMT

FC Barcelona v Juventus - UEFA Champions League — FC Barcelona

#3. Barcelona 2 - 0 Espanyol (April 25, 2018)

Barcelona v Espanyol - Spanish Copa del Rey — Messi and Suarez both scored to see off Espanyol in the quarterfinals

In one of the toughest Catalan derbies of the decade, Barcelona clashed with their local rivals, Espanyol FC in the quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey. The Blaugrana initially fell to a shocking defeat in the first leg as the Periquitos earned a 1-0 victory at the RCDE stadium.

With a 1-goal deficit, Barcelona needed to win with at least two goals to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. This raised the pressure on the Catalans as they sought to advance into the semi-finals of the competition for a fifth consecutive year.

The game kicked-off with great intensity and the Blaugrana wasted no time to get their first goal. After receiving a pass from Lionel Messi, Aleix Vidal sent in a perfect cross into the box and Luis Suarez finished it with a great header to put his team ahead after just 8 minutes.

Espanyol responded with a nice shot from Gerard Moreno which Jasper Cillessen did well to save before Esteban Granero threatened the Blaugrana again. The former Real Madrid man received a cross from Victor Sanchez but could only send his effort wide.

Barcelona came up one more time, taking the lead in the 25th minute via a Lionel Messi's goal. Vidal won the ball at the edge of the box and the Argentine fired a shot from 20 yards. The ball deflected off Naldo and went straight into the net to make it 2-0 for Barcelona.

The Blaugrana maintained their lead till the end of the game to make it to the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey for the fifth consecutive year.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Zeeshan Ali