Barcelona get there eventually! Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford earn Hansi Flick's side hard-fought win over third-tier minnows as Blaugrana narrowly avoid Copa del Rey banana skin

Hansi Flick made eight changes in the Barcelona lineup that beat Osasuna last Saturday in La Liga. Marcus Rashford, Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia were the only three players who featured in last weekend's clash. Flick also handed Marc-Andre ter Stegen his maiden start of the 2025-26 campaign as the German goalkeeper finally returned to action after a long injury layoff. 

It was an evenly-poised first half as both teams had their fair share of chances to break the deadlock but failed to put the ball into the net. Alejandro Canzio came close to scoring the opening goal for the hosts of the night in the 15th minute but he failed to keep his header on target. Similarly, Guadalajara shot-stopper Daniel Vicente made a couple of quality saves, including keeping Eric Garcia's powerful attempt away from goal at the stroke of half-time. 

Shortly after the break, Rashford missed the easiest chance of the match as he met Eric Garcia's inch-perfect long ball inside the opponent's box and attempted a first-time shot from close range. While the Manchester United loanee placed his shot on target, Vicente once again came to his team's rescue by pulling off a quality save.

As the game progressed, Barcelona's attackers grew frustrated as they failed to break a rock-solid defence put up by the third-tier Spanish side. Guadalajara defenders did particularly well in keeping a strict vigilance on Yamal as every time the Barca sensation touched the ball, at least three defenders surrounded him.

The reigning Spanish champions finally broke the deadlock in the 76th minute when Andreas Christensen found the back of the net with a header of Frenkie de Jong's cross. The former Chelsea defender's header got deflected off an opposition player before going into the goal.

Ter Stegen made a couple of quality saves towards the end of the game, including a long-range shot from Salifou Caropitche just minutes after the Blaugrana took the lead.

After failing to make any major impact throughout the game, Rashford finally got his name on the scoresheet as he doubled his side's lead and sealed the victory with a quality strike in the 90th minute.

Guadalajara goalkeeper Vicente was the hero of the night despite conceding a late goal that led to his team's elimination from the Copa del Rey. However, the Spanish goalkeeper had a terrific outing throughout the game and denied Barcelona from taking the lead on multiple occassions. 

Yamal had a night to forget as he failed to create any impact up front against the minnows and was unable to break down the heavy marking that was deployed by the opposition defenders throughout the 90 minutes.