Overcoming fear, Barca entered the semi-finals of the King's Cup

The Catalan team just had a tense match in the second leg of the King's Cup quarter-finals when they had to come from behind to defeat Bilbao with a score of 3-1.

Barca players celebrate after Suarez's equalizer. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Suarez 53', Pique 81', Neymar 90' - Inaki Williams 12'

Playing against Bilbao in the second leg, Barca surprisingly let their opponents take the lead after a smart run to score a goal by Inaki Williams. Playing under psychological pressure, coach Luis Enrique's team had to wait until the beginning of the second half to get an equalizer before exploding in the final minutes of the match. From the 81st to the 90th minute, Pique and Neymar took turns breaking the net of goalkeeper Iago Herrerin, at the same time leading Barca to a decisive victory.

With a 5-2 aggregate result, Barca moved closer to the Copa del Rey this season by securing a semi-final spot. The goal became even more feasible as another strong candidate, Atletico Madrid, had just tasted bitter fruit. In the earliest quarter-final second leg, Atletico lost 2-3 on aggregate to Celta Vigo.

Having lost to Barca three consecutive matches in the 2015-2016 season (two in La Liga and the other in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals), Bilbao showed great determination in their away match on the evening of January 27. This determination quickly materialized into the opening goal in the 12th minute. In the scoring situation, Inaki Williams ran into the offside trap after Aduriz's delicate pass, before getting past goalkeeper Ter Stegen and shooting into the empty net.

The opening goal may have caused some concern for Barca's players. If they conceded another goal, the Catalans would have lost their 2-1 advantage from the first leg away and faced the risk of being eliminated at the Nou Camp.

Bilbao (red and white shirts) almost caused a big surprise at Nou Camp.

Having to play under psychological pressure may have reduced the accuracy of Barca's attacks. In the remaining time of the first half after conceding the goal, the team that won the Cup last season created many chances but could not beat goalkeeper Herrerin. Bilbao also had many chances to score more goals, creating a dramatic and tense match.

Barca fans had to wait until the 53rd minute to breathe a sigh of relief. After a quick run down the left wing, Messi passed the ball to Suarez, who tapped the ball into the Bilbao net.

With the equalizer, Barca seemed to have shaken off the psychological burden. Thanks to that, the coordination also became more flexible and effective. Continuously from the 61st to the 79th minute, goalkeeper Herrerin had to work with high intensity and saved many times for Bilbao. After many efforts, Barca finally touched the victory when Dani Alves crossed the ball for Pique to head the ball to increase the score to 2-1 in the 81st minute.

Before the referee blew the final whistle, Barca had a chance to celebrate a beautiful goal by Neymar. The striker twirled the ball through a crowd of opposing defenders and then fired a powerful shot into the top corner to seal a 3-1 victory.

According to VNE