Having defeated their arch-rivals, Barca have put one foot in the King's Cup semi-finals.

Coach Luis Enrique's team secured a 1-0 victory away against their arch-rivals Sociedad in the first leg of the quarter-finals, which took place on the evening of January 19th.

Goal: Neymar (penalty) 21st minute

Forward Neymar played the hero in Barca's victory. The number 11 player shone with a skillful dribble into the penalty area, where he was fouled by an opposing defender, before getting up to score the decisive goal from the penalty spot.

Real Sociedad's Anoeta stadium (wearing blue and white) was once a formidable ground for Barca for many years. Photo: Reuters

Playing at their home stadium, Anoeta, Sociedad surprisingly failed to dominate Barca as they had in many previous matches. The team in blue and white stripes not only failed to create many attacking opportunities but also lacked precision against Barca's alert defense.

The victory at Anoeta can be seen as a tactical success for coach Enrique. Instead of having his players play direct attacking football as in many previous matches, the coach prioritized fast counter-attacks and unexpected plays in front of goalkeeper Rulli's goal. The only goal came from such a play when Neymar broke through from midfield into the penalty area, forcing the opposing defender to commit a foul.

While Neymar posed the most threat to goalkeeper Rulli's goal, Messi primarily played a creative role. The score could have been 2-0 in favor of Barca after two passes from Messi in the 24th and 57th minutes. Sergi Roberto narrowly missed the target in the first instance, while Neymar curled the ball wide in the second.

Against Sociedad's tight defense, Messi had virtually no opportunities to score directly. His only clear chance came when his free-kick went over the crossbar in the 79th minute.

Meanwhile, Sociedad squandered a good opportunity.at minute 63Yuri's shot went wide of the goal when he was almost completely unmarked inside the Barcelona penalty area.

Barca secured a valuable victory at Anoeta.

Thanks to their 1-0 victory in the first leg away from home, Barca hold a significant advantage. In the return leg at their home stadium, Nou Camp, next week, Enrique's team only needs a draw to advance to the semi-finals.

According to VNE