Barcelona make easy work of Ceuta in Copa del Rey round of 16

Barcelona made it to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey following a 5-0 rout of Ceuta in the round of 16.

Robert Lewandowski netted a brace with Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Franck Kessie also among the goal scorers.

It was a straightforward affair for the Catalans compared to the win in the previous round where they had to go to extra time to beat Intercity.

Xavi Hernandez fielded an alternate line-up, giving an opportunity to those who needed it and playing Lewandowski given he still has to serve the remaining two games of his suspension. It took a while for Barcelona to get going with Raphinha scoring the first goal, cutting in from the right as his dipping shot got past the Ceuta keeper.

Barcelona went into the break only up by one but it was thereafter where the floodgates opened. Kessie took advantage of sloppy play from Ceuta to recover a ball in their half before passing it to Lewandowski who scored his first of two goals.

Ansu Fati replaced Ferran Torres and scored in the 70th minute, curling a ball to the Ceuta keeper’s far post. Seeing Ansu coming on and having an immediate impact can only be a good thing for him and the club. Kessie added the fourth goal seven minutes later with a header and Lewandowski got his brace in the 90th minute.

While the first half could have been better from a score perspective, Barcelona always seemed to have control of the match.

“I would highlight the team’s attitude,” Xavi said. “We had the experience of Intercity [in the last round when Barca needed extra time], which can happen if you drop your intensity. We struggled to create in the first half but the second period was really good. The team showed hunger.”

Barcelona wanted to build on their 3-1 over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and have done just that. They’ll look to keep the positive string of results going when they host Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday.