Defeating their arch-rivals, Barca puts one foot in the semi-finals of the King's Cup

Coach Luis Enrique and his team won 1-0 right on the field of their arch-rivals Sociedad, in the first leg of the quarter-finals on the evening of January 19.

Goal: Neymar 21' penalty

Striker Neymar played the hero role in Barca's victory. The player wearing the number 11 shirt shone with a skillful dribble into the penalty area and was fouled by the opposing defender, before standing up to score the decisive goal from the 11m mark.

Sociedad's Anoeta Stadium (blue and white shirts) has been a dangerous place for Barca for many years. Photo: Reuters

Playing at home at Anoeta, Sociedad surprisingly failed to dominate Barca like in many previous matches. The team in blue and white stripes not only failed to create many attacking situations, but also showed a lack of precision against Barca's alert defense.

The victory at Anoeta Stadium can be considered a tactical success for coach Enrique. Instead of letting his players play direct attacks like in many previous matches, this coach prioritized fast counter-attacks and unexpected handling in front of goalkeeper Rulli's goal. The only goal came from such a move when Neymar broke through from midfield into the penalty area and forced the opposing defender to commit a foul.

While Neymar was the one who threatened Rulli's goal the most, Messi played a major role in creating. The score could have been 2-0 in Barca's favor after two passes from Messi in the 24th and 57th minutes. Sergi Roberto missed the goal by inches in the first situation, while Neymar curled wide in the second situation.

With Sociedad's tight defense, Messi had almost no chance to score directly. This player only had one clear free kick when he fired a free kick over the crossbar in the 79th minute.

Meanwhile, Sociedad wasted a good opportunity.at minute 63. Player Yuri shot wide of the goal in a situation where he was almost unmarked in the middle of Barca's penalty area.

Barca had a valuable victory at Anoeta.

Thanks to a 1-0 win in the first leg away from home, Barca now have a huge advantage. In the return leg at the Nou Camp next week, Enrique and his team only need a draw to advance to the semi-finals.

According to VNE