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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has hailed his side's excellent win against Granada in the Copa Del Rey quarterfinal on Wednedsay.
Barcelona were 2-0 down, and on their way out of the competition, before two late goals from Antoine Griezmann and Jordi Alba forced extra-time.
Griezmann scored in the 88th minute, before Alba equalised in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Griezmann then scored in the 100th minute to put Barcelona in the lead. However, the Blaugrana were pegged back almost immediately. Fede Vico scored a penalty just three minutes later, but Barcelona were not to be denied.
Eventually, Barcelona were just too good for Granada in the second period of extra time. Frenkie de Jong's strike put them in the lead again, before Alba scored his second of the game to put the seal on a memorable win.
Ronald Koeman praises Barcelona mentality in Copa win against Granada
The Dutchman at the helm of Barcelona was in awe of the game he had just seen, and hailed his players for the effort they put in. Koeman was also delighted with the mentality that his team showed to bounce back from what was a difficult situation.
"It was incredible, football is incredible. I think we did well," Koeman said after the game, in quotes published on Marca.
"We had chances earlier, but the team put in a huge effort. Extra time was incredible. It showed the mentality of this team. Incredible.
"The thing that stands out most was the mentality of the team. We didn’t stop trying.“We knew we weren’t having a lot of luck, we had chances that didn’t go in. They hit the goalkeeper or the woodwork. It seemed like we were going to lose," Koeman concluded.
Barcelona are now through to the semifinals of the Copa Del Rey, and will be looking at this competition as one of the avenues to win a trophy this season - Koeman's first with the club.
They are second in La Liga, but Atletico Madrid are in a dominant position there. Diego Simeone's men are currently ten points ahead of Barcelona, and have a game in hand as well.
February is a big month for Koeman as well, as his side will begin their European knockout campaign, in addition to having to keep up their recent good form in the league.
Barcelona will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League in a couple of weeks.
