Neymar scores, Barca put one foot in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Despite the absence of Messi and Suarez, Barca still displayed strong attacking form to secure a 2-1 victory away at Bilbao in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

El Haddadi and Neymar helped Barca overcome difficulties. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Aduriz 89' - El Haddadi 18', Neymar 25'

Facing Bilbao just four days after their 6-0 victory in La Liga's 20th round, Barca showed that the absence of two of their three most important strikers wasn't a major problem. Within the first 25 minutes, Munir El Haddadi and Neymar scored in quick succession, giving the visitors a two-goal lead. Bilbao had to wait until the 89th minute to reduce the deficit to 1-2.

With their away win, Barca have put one foot in the semi-finals of this season's Copa del Rey. In the second leg of the quarter-final next week, Barca can afford to lose 0-1 at home at Camp Nou and still advance.

Due to a suspension in the Copa del Rey, Luis Suarez was unable to participate in the away match against Bilbao. Messi also did not appear on the field as coach Luis Enrique did not want to take any risks. Last weekend, M10 was suspected of having a hamstring injury and had to leave the field immediately after halftime in the 20th round of La Liga. Without the services of two of his three most important forwards, Enrique proved skillful in pairing Neymar with El Haddadi and Arda Turan. All three players performed well, with the first two scoring directly and the third providing assists.

Having the home advantage, Bilbao caused Barca considerable difficulties in the early stages of the match, limiting their possession time and space. However, this tactic couldn't be sustained for long due to the difference in class. In the 15th minute, Neymar nearly opened the scoring with a curling shot from 20 meters. In this situation, goalkeeper Iago Herrerin showed excellent form, diving to push the ball over the crossbar.

Barca were missing two of their three best strikers but still had midfielders capable of making a difference. This was evident in the two goals in the first half. In the 18th minute, Turan passed the ball to Rakitic, who raced down the right wing and crossed it into the box, where El Haddadi needed only a simple touch to open the scoring. Seven minutes later, Barca's midfield needed just two passes to get the ball into the Bilbao penalty area, where Herrerin misjudged the ball and allowed Neymar to shoot into an empty net to make it 2-0.

Bilbao also played with great effort but lacked the luck to make a difference. Towards the end of the first half, the home team did not get a penalty after Aduriz fell in the penalty area under pressure from Javier Mascherano. According to the referee, this was not a foul.

The match became more tense after the half-time break. Bilbao played aggressively to stop Barca's attack, resulting in six yellow cards. Aduriz was even lucky not to be sent off after a tackle on Neymar's back.

The home team had to wait until the end of the match to get any real scoring opportunities. Aduriz capitalized on one of them with a precise shot from a pass by Mikel San Jose. In the other two instances, goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen made excellent saves for Barca.

In another quarter-final first leg match, Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 away at Celta Vigo. The two teams will have to settle the score at the Vicente Calderon in the second leg next week.

According to VNE