Barcelona virtually booked their place in the semifinals of the Copa Del Rey after 1-0 away win over Real Sociedad. Anoeta has been a nightmare ground for the Catalans in recent years but they finally broke the curse and emerged victorious, thanks to a calmly slotted penalty by Neymar. It was an exciting game for the neutrals as both sides attacked with intent and had a number of chances to get their name on the score sheet.
The Blaugrana, one can say are on their way to challenge for their third consecutive Copa Del Rey crown whereas La Real have a daunting task at their end to overturn the deficit at Camp Nou. Sociedad, in fact, will have to be at their best if they want to reach their first final since 1988.
A hard earned victory was achieved by the Catalans at Anoeta so let's take a look at the five talking points from the game:
#1 The curse finally ends
One has to go back to March 2007 in order to track Barcelona's last win at the Anoeta. That team won 2-0 on that night but since then, La Real’s home ground has proved to be a tricky fixture each season for the reigning Spanish champions. Luis Enrique won his first game against Sociedad last night as his previous three attempts at the Anoeta have failed to see him get all three points.
Enrique has lost two games 0-1 here and drew 1-1 when the two sides met here in November. Lionel Messi has also struggled at this venue with the resolute Sociedad defence breaking his run of scoring in seven consecutive games. It was the Argentine's best run since 2013.
#2 Neymar getting back on track
After struggling to score for almost three months, Neymar had gone on to score in consecutive games for Barcelona. He was producing effective performances but lacked composure in front of goal but now with the Brazilian back on the scoring sheet again, it will see some pressure off Lionel Messi's back. Neymar was a constant threat to La Real's fullback and terrorised him for the entire game.
A quick counter attack led Barcelona to win a penalty thanks to a brilliant dribble from the Brazilian which involved a nice bit of skill to get away from his defender and draw him into committing a foul. He had many chances to increase his and the club's lead but could not muster a good shot. He received a yellow card for simulation when the Brazilian went down in the box and it was a clear penalty as the keeper had fouled Neymar after the ball had gone.
#3 A night to forget for Raul Navas and Aritz Elustondo
Real Sociedad have a solid backline which has enabled them to churn out results this season effectively. Fullback Raul Navas and centre back Elustondo have been decent till now but faced embarrassment against Barcelona. Navas was beaten by Neymar on the left flank at will which exposed La Real at the back on many occasions.
The fullback had a tough night to endure as he found it difficult to handle the pace of the Brazilian. Elustondo also could not get the better off Neymar and it was his challenge on the Brazilian which earned Barcelona a spot kick. The centre-back made some schoolboy errors and faced the wrath of his manager at times.
#4 Ivan Rakitic failed to grab his much-awaited opportunity
The future of Rakitic has been discussed a lot lately with the Croatian not getting ample game time under Luis Enrique as the manager seems to be favouring Andre Gomes ahead of Rakitic in the big games. It was his third start in Barcelona's last eight games but was taken off in the 68th minute when La Real started to impose their authority in the centre of the park.
Recently in an interview with France Football, Rakitic claimed that he can jump off a bridge for Luis Enrique. It showed his commitment to the manager but Enrique may have made his choice and it might be curtains for the out of favour midfielder in the summer.
#5 Barcelona have finally found their stride
It was looking a dire state of affairs for the Catalans last month with rivals Real Madrid extending their lead atop La Liga whilst the club was suffering defeats and draws in games which they were expected to win comfortably. However, with the dawn of new year, the form improved and Barcelona are looking confident with each passing game and are now playing with a new found attacking intensity.
With their 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta, Barcelona have one foot in the semifinals. A look at history and you can see that La Real haven't even drawn a game at Camp Nou since 1995, let alone upsetting the Catalans. Adding to it that Real Madrid lost their first leg against Celta Vigo which makes Luis Enrique's men, favourites for the domestic crown.
