FC Barcelona reached the round of 16 without star striker Robert Lewandowski, but the Spanish top club had to tremble longer than they would like: against a third division team, only the fourth lead was enough to win after extra time. However, there is bad news for Lewandowski.
Without star striker Robert Lewandowski, football’s top club FC Barcelona had a hard time preventing an embarrassing defeat in the Spanish Cup. Barça only prevailed in the duel against the third division CF Intercity in extra time 4: 3 (3: 3, 1: 0) and literally trembled into the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. Ronald Araujo (4th), Ousmane Dembelé (66th), Raphael (77th) and Ansu Fati (103rd) scored the goals for the big favorite, who conceded three equalizers. All three goals for the hosts marked Oriol Soldevila.
Despite progressing, coach Xavi Hernandez was somewhat satisfied: “I’m worried about this lack of assertiveness. Especially in attack. It can happen in defense, but not in attack. Today it was in both areas,” said the Spaniard, as a player himself three cup winners with FC Barcelona. “I think we were good in possession, in rhythm, in creating chances, but we have to decide games much earlier. We made life difficult for ourselves”.
After all, he was able to scold a journalist: “I don’t think we made a fool of ourselves. Have seven Primera teams made a fool of themselves? It’s difficult to win. I don’t think it’s a football question.” Seven first division teams had already said goodbye in the first three rounds. The big competitor Real Madrid had previously had a hard time: The big club struggled through a 1-0 win in the round of 16 at the fourth division club Polideportivo Cacereno.
While the German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was on the bench, Lewandowski was not in the squad for reasons of stress. However, the Polish national striker will soon be missing from the league. The Spanish sports court TAD has confirmed the three-game ban against the world footballer because of a dismissal in the league on November 8th at CA Osasuna. A Barça spokesman said this on request. Shortly before New Year’s Eve, Lewandowski’s ban was temporarily suspended and the striker was surprisingly able to play in the 1-1 city derby against Espanyol on the last day of last year.
Now the ex-Munich player is likely to miss his club against Atlético Madrid this Sunday, against Getafe on January 21 or 22 and against Girona on January 28 or 29 if FC Barcelona does not appeal the decision again. Lewandowski saw the yellow-red card after half an hour in a league game at CA Osasuna in Pamplona on November 8 and was then suspended for three Primera División games. For him it was the first dismissal after more than nine and a half years. He last saw the red card in a Borussia Dortmund shirt on February 9, 2013.
According to Spanish media reports, the relatively severe penalty for the former Bayern professional is due to the fact that the exceptional striker pointed his index finger to his nose when leaving the field and then pointed at referee Gil Manzano, expressing “disapproval of the referee’s decision”. as recorded in the game record. FC Barcelona denied this interpretation.
