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In a nail-biting Copa Del Rey semi-final, Barcelona scored three goals in the second leg to pull off an amazing comeback against Sevilla and book their place in the final.
Barcelona came into the second leg with a 2-0 deficit. But goals from Ousmane Dembele, Gerard Pique and Martin Braithwaite inspired the hosts to a 3-0 victory at Camp Nou and saw them through.
Julen Lopetegui’s men opted to sit back and soak up the pressure from Barcelona with the aim of guarding their two-goal first-leg advantage. However, it took the hosts just 12 minutes to open the scoring as Ousmane Dembele curled home a right-footed strike.
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Barcelona kept up the pressure but couldn't score another goal in the first half.
All seemed lost when, in the 72nd minute, a foul by Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza on Lucas Ocampos saw Sevilla get a penalty.
However, Ocampos failed to convert as his spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Gerard Pique then grabbed a dramatic 94th-minute equalizer for Barcelona to force extra time after he met Antoine Griezmann’s inch-perfect cross. Substitute Martin Braithwaite scored in extra time to complete the comeback.
Barcelona held on to the lead to secure a place in the final of the 2020-21 Copa Del Rey competition for the sixth time in seven years.
Barcelona player ratings
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 9/10
A stellar performance from the German international. He kept Barcelona’s hopes alive when he superbly held on to Lucas Ocampos's spot-kick. He performed brilliantly whenever called upon and made three saves on the night.
Oscar Mingueza: 7/10
The Barcelona academy graduate backed up his impressive display last week with another sensational performance. Playing on the right side of a defensive back-three, he kept Youssef En-Nesyri quiet the entire game.
His only mistake was conceding the penalty.
Gerard Pique: 8/10
A colossal performance from the veteran defender. He showed his brilliance at both ends of the pitch, grabbing Barcelona’s second goal of the night with a 94th-minute header.
Clement Lenglet: 6.5/10
The Frenchman remained composed at the back. He struggled occasionally with the pace of Sevilla's attacks.
Sergino Dest: 6/10
The Barcelona wing-back ran his lungs out as he tried to construct attacks down the right flank. He was taken off in the 63rd minute.
Frenkie de Jong: 6.5/10
A routine outing for the Barcelona midfielder. He kept the play ticking from the center of the park, finishing with a 93% passing accuracy. De Jong completed all of his long ball attempts on the night.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
The veteran midfielder had a decent outing. But he was guilty of slowing down and killing off a few Barcelona counter-attacks.
Pedri: 6/10
Another tireless performance from the tenacious midfielder. While he may not have made a huge impact on the game, his high energy levels were vital as Barcelona pressed hard to regain possession. He was replaced by Braithwaite in the 89th minute as Ronald Koeman threw men forward in search of a goal.
Jordi Alba: 7/10
The Barcelona full-back bossed the left flank. While he ventured forward at will, he performed his defensive duties brilliantly as well. He linked up with Ousmane Dembele and was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Sevilla defenders. Alba's cross in the 95th minute led to the winner.
Ousmane Dembele: 7.5/10
Dembele curled in a ferocious strike from 20 yards to open the scoring for Barcelona in the early stages of the game. He linked up well with Lionel Messi and also contributed defensively to protect his side's lead.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
Messi might not have grabbed a goal or an assist, but he played a vital role in the victory. He kept the Sevilla defenders on their toes with his deft touches and exquisite passing. He was the go-to man when Barcelona went all out for a goal in the second half and even came close to scoring once, only for his dink to be cleared off the line.
Player ratings for Barcelona substitutes
Antoine Griezmann: 7.5/10
The Frenchman gave the assist for Barcelona's second goal.
Junior Firpo: 5.5/10
He came on for Mingueza in the 78th minute and gave a composed performance down the right flank.
Ilaix Moriba: 5/10
The Barcelona youngster was brought on with 12 minutes to go and he played his part to ensure his side held on to the three-goal lead.
Francisco Trincao: N/A
Came on with a minute left on the clock. He made no telling contribution bar a yellow card he picked up in the closing stages of extra-time.
Martin Braithwaite: 7/10
An excellent cameo from the Danish international. He came on in the 89th minute and completed the comeback for Barcelona with a header five minutes into extra time.
Sevilla player ratings
Tomas Vaclik: 4/10
There was little that he could do about Dembele's strike. He was let down by his defenders for Barcelona’s subsequent goals.
Aleix Vidal: 5/10
Alex Vidal had an uncharacteristically quiet evening as he was kept occupied defensively by Ousmane Dembele and struggled to contribute in attack. The full-back was taken off barely nine minutes into the second half after picking up an injury.
Jules Kounde: 5/10
The in-demand defender had a shaky outing against a resilient Barcelona attack. He lost the ball which led to Dembele's opener, but almost made up for it when his deflected shot just missed the goal late in the game.
Diego Carlos: 5.5/10
Along with Kounde, the Spaniard struggled to contain Barcelona’s attack. He made a few clearances to keep his side in the game, but fizzled out as the game progressed.
Marco Acuna: 6/10
A much more assured defensive presence for Sevilla. He made an outstanding goal-line clearance in the first half to deny Lionel Messi and keep the aggregate lead intact. He was replaced by Karim Rekik in the 54th minute.
Joan Jordan: 5/10
The 26-year-old Spaniard struggled to handle Barcelona’s duo of Jordi Alba and Dembele down the right flank. He was easily beaten by the full-back and received a booking in extra time. He was replaced in the 105th minute as Lopetegui opted for an all-out attack.
Fernando: 3/10
Barcelona’s second goal came from a foul Fernando committed. The defensive midfielder was sent off in the latter stages of normal time after receiving a second yellow card. Sevilla went downhill following his dismissal.
Oliver Torres: 4.5/10
A sub-par outing from the Spaniard. He failed to find a foothold in the game and struggled to link up with his frontmen. Sevilla suffered due to his lack of creativity. He was subbed off in the 62nd minute.
Suso: 6/10
The former AC Milan man had a decent outing for Lopetegui’s side. He was tidy with his passing and looked to make things happen for his side down the right.
Luuk de Jong: 4/10
A night to forget for the striker. He struggled to get going as he didn't get proper service from his teammates and was isolated up top. He was replaced in the 54th minute for Ivan Rakitic.
Youssef En Nesyri: 5/10
Despite the defensive approach from the visitors, En Nesyri probed the Barcelona defense on a few occasions. Unfortunately, he came second-best on every attempt. Along with Suso and De Jong, he finished with no shots on target.
Player ratings for Sevilla substitutes
Ivan Rakitic: 5/10
The former Barcelona midfielder came in for De Jong but made no telling impact against his former side.
Karim Rekik: 5/10
Rekik was part of a quadruple substitution in the 54th minute as Sevilla looked to guard their 2-1 aggregate lead. However, he struggled to perform as Barcelona pushed for a second goal.
Jesus Navas: 5.5/10
Replaced the injured Alex Vidal in the 54th minute, but failed to capitalize on a glorious opportunity to pull one back for Sevilla.
Lucas Ocampos 3/10
He had Sevilla’s biggest chance to put the game beyond Barcelona's reach when he stood over a penalty kick. However, he failed to beat Ter Stegen.
Papu Gomez: 4/10
The former Atalanta man came on one the 79th minute but made no telling contributions for Sevilla.
Munir: N/A
The former Barcelona forward injected fresh life into Sevilla after coming on in the 106th minute, but it was too little too late to make an impact.
