Barcelona suffered a disappointing cup defeat in the quarterfinals at the hands of Athletic Bilbao, losing 4-2 in extra time. The game was evenly poised at 2-2 after 90 minutes, but goals from the sibling duo of Iñaki and Nico Williams gave Bilbao the win in the additional period. Iñaki Williams completed a remarkable turnaround, having returned from the Ivory Coast just a day before the fixture, where he was part of the Ghana squad in the Africa Cup of Nations.
This defeat marked another setback for Barcelona, which had previously lost the Spanish Super Cup to archrival Real Madrid. The team currently finds itself eight points adrift of the first place in La Liga. Despite the disappointment, Barcelona manager Xavi expressed pride in the young players’ performance and acknowledged the difficulty of playing against an intense and aggressive team like Athletic Bilbao.
In another Copa del Rey match, Girona suffered a surprising 3-2 defeat to Mallorca, ending their chance to do the league and cup double. Mallorca raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half before eventually being reduced to 10 men. Girona fought back with a goal from Cristhian Stuani, but a late goal from Brazilian forward Sávio was not enough to salvage the match.
These results have raised the intensity of the competition in Spanish football this season. Girona and Barcelona will now shift their focus back to La Liga as they aim to overcome these setbacks and continue their quest for silverware.
News Highlight :
– Barcelona faced a disappointing 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey
– Girona also suffered a defeat, losing 3-2 to Mallorca
– Barcelona’s loss was particularly damaging, following their defeat in the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga standings
– Young players performed well despite the loss
– Surprising season for Girona in La Liga is now focused on the league title
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#Athletic Bilbao cup win
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#Iñaki and Nico Williams
