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FULL-TIME, Unionistas 1-3 Barcelona: Barça were in trouble in the first half and were at times in danger of a historic loss, but dominated the final period and got a couple of amazing contributions from unlikely sources to confirm the win and book a spot in the next round.
73’ GOAL!!! Unionistas 1-3 Barcelona (Balde): IT’S THREE! It’s another brilliant solo effort by a Barça defender as Alejandro Balde goes on an amazing run through the entire defense all by himself and fires it home off the bar! It’s a great goal that should finally settle the tie and send Barça to the next round if they can hold on to the lead.
69’ GOAL!!! Unionistas 1-2 Barcelona (Kounde): BARÇA TAKE THE LEAD!!! Jules Kounde decieed to try his luck from distance and fires a rocket from 30 yards and into the net with no chance for the keeper! WHAT A GOAL!
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Unionistas 1-1 Barcelona: Back underway in Salamanca!
HALFTIME, Unionistas 1-1 Barcelona: Barça had all of the ball but did nothing with it, and the home team needed just one chance to take a shocking lead. Ferran’s equalizer was a big source of relief going into the break, but this tie is wide open and Barça could be in for a historic upset if they don’t improve in the second half.
45’ GOAL! Unionistas 1-1 Barcelona (Ferran): BARÇA EQUALIZE! João Félix releases Ferran Torres on the counter and the Spaniard is able to run all alone for over 50 yards and pick his spot to beat the keeper and score a big equalizer just before halftime.
31’ GOAL, Unionistas 1-0 Barcelona (Gómez): Unionistas take the lead. Juan Serrano puts in a cross from the left wing and Álvaro Gómez is all alone at the far post and fires a beautiful volley into the net to put the home team in front.
KICKOFF! Unionistas 0-0 Barcelona: And we’re underway in Salamanca!
WELCOME TO THE ESTADIO MUNICIPAL REINA SOFIA!!! The tiny home of Third Division side Unionistas de Salamanca is the site of the Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie between the hosts and Barcelona, who come into this one looking to rebound from their worst defeat of the season and book a place in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup. But it won’t be easy against a team full of confidence that just eliminated Villarreal in the previous round and are ready to cause a monster upset. This should be fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Peña; Roberto, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Fermín, Romeu, De Jong; Ferran, Guiu, Félix (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Astralaga (GK), Kochen (GK), Cubarsí, Fort, Casadó, Gündogan, Pedri, Víctor, Roque, Lewandowski
UNIONISTAS
Starting XI: Martínez; Ruiz, Mayor, Giménez, Jiménez; Gómez, Tur, Gómez, Serrano; Rastrojo, Losada (4-4-2)
Substitutes: Cacharrón (GK), Camus, Rojo, Villar, Nespral, Ramírez, Planas, Teijeira, López, Slavy, De Bustos
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2023-24 Copa del Rey, Round of 16
Date/Time: Thursday, January 18, 2024, 7.30pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 6.30pm GMT (UK), 1.30pm ET, 10.30am PT (USA), Midnight IST (India)
Venue: Estadio Municipal Reina Sofia, Salamanca, Spain
Referee: Francisco Hernández Maeso
VAR: Eduardo Prieto Iglesias
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: Startimes World Football (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others
Online: ESPN+ (USA), Movistar+ (Spain), FanCode (India), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
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