"You can't compare because he's an incomparable player" - Hansi Flick lavishes praise on 22-year-old Barcelona star after 5-0 win vs Valencia

Barcelona continued their dominant start to 2025 with a resounding 5-0 victory over Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals (February 6). The Catalan giants, now joined by Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad in the semifinals, delivered a ruthless performance at the Mestalla. Ferran Torres stole the spotlight against his former club.

Hansi Flick’s side wasted no time asserting their authority, with Torres opening the scoring in the third minute. The Spanish forward latched onto a perfectly timed pass from Alejandro Balde before slotting home clinically.

He doubled his tally in the 17th minute, reacting quickest when Lamine Yamal’s shot rebounded off the post. Just moments later, Fermin Lopez extended Barcelona’s lead with a composed finish, courtesy of an exquisite assist from Pedri.

Torres then completed his hat-trick inside the opening half-hour, finishing low into the bottom corner after being set up by Raphinha. After the match, Flick expressed his delight at the team’s performance and reserved special praise for Torres, who marked his return from injury emphatically.

Here's what he said (via Diario AS):

"It’s a very important victory for us. I’m happy with the team. We created chances and scored goals from the start, and that allowed us to achieve our objective. (The number of goals that we score) shows the hunger that the team has. And that the players were focused on trying to score more goals."

"It’s good to see that. It is important that everyone shows their best version. I’m happy for the players because they scored well, they played well. I say it again. We played very well against Valencia. I’m happy for Ferran, because he scored a hat-trick. He was out after an injury and has come back well."

Torres’ explosive display provided Flick with much to consider, especially as Barcelona have scored at least five goals in their last four games - each of which saw veteran striker Robert Lewandowski left out of the starting lineup.

Barcelona’s dominance left Valencia supporters frustrated, with some fans leaving the stadium well before full-time. This was their second heavy defeat to the Catalans in just two weeks, following a crushing 7-1 loss in La Liga (January 26).

Valencia thought they had found a consolation goal early in the second half when Umar Sadiq found the net, only for it to be ruled out for offside. Sadiq then won a penalty, but once again, the decision was overturned due to an offside in the build-up.

Meanwhile, Yamal, who had struck the post earlier in the match, finally got his goal in the closing stages. His low shot took a slight deflection before creeping past Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, sealing a five-star performance for Barcelona.

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Barcelona manager heaps praise on Pedri

Flick was also keen to highlight the contributions of other key players, including Pedri, who once again dazzled with his technical brilliance.

"I can’t say much. You can’t compare because he’s an incomparable player. He enjoys football and it’s nice to watch. Wherever he plays, he helps the team a lot. And he always plays for the team. I’m glad he’s been here for a long time," he said (as per the aforementioned source).

Defensively, Barcelona held firm, with Wojciech Szczesny delivering a solid performance between the posts. Flick was particularly pleased with the clean sheet, especially given the recent criticism of the Polish goalkeeper.

"I think his job is to protect the goal, and he has given us stability. Today, he has once again kept a clean sheet, and that is what we have," he concluded.

Elsewhere in the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad booked their spot in the semifinals with a comfortable 2-0 win over 10-man Osasuna, joining Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid in an exceptionally strong final four.

Barcelona will learn their semifinal opponents on Wednesday, February 12. With their current form and a resurgent Ferran Torres, Flick’s men will be confident of going all the way in search of their 32nd Copa del Rey title.