Barça regains its verticality to seal the pass to the quarterfinals

Barcelona sealed the pass to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey after comforting thrashing Leganés at Camp Nou (5-0), where the Quique Setién project regained its verticality and took a breath after the league defeat against the Valencia.

The Barça team, more incisive in attack, sentenced the 'cucumber' team with the goals of Clément Lenglet and Antoine Griezmann, in the first half, and Lionel Messi, by double game, and Arthur Melo, after the break.

He changed the Setien script and, from a three-player defensive line, recovered the most classic 4-3-3. It showed on the grass. Messi, with freedom on the right, Griezmann, of 'nine', and Ansu Fati, unbalancing on the left, gave his team the depth that was missing in the first three meetings of the Cantabrian coach on the Barça bench.

A team with more verticality and less academic control of the ball, but without reliability in defense. Proof of this were the six arrivals that the Leganés completed in the first half. The first 30 seconds of the match, with a left-handed Braithwaite that touched the root of the post.

He did not score the Danish on the first occasion he had, but Barcelona did in the 4th minute. They sent the areas. Messi searched the space for Semedo, looking for the area to Griezmann, who crossed the ball with his right hand to give the first joy of the night to a half-empty Camp Nou.

The French, very participatory tracing uncheck space, again finished off another combination of Messi with Alba, but the referee canceled both offside of the Catalan side.

Barça insisted with depth, but did not dispel defensive doubts. Roque Mesa and Ruibal, from outside the area, searched without luck, while Braitwaite did not believe in the interior of the area a precise center of Siovas.

With De Jong, insecure in the spinal cord, Quique Seitién's pupils searched for the second one, either with a clearing of Griezmann's space or, with a standing ball, with the Messi-Lenglet connection.

In two fouls, the Argentine contacted the Frenchman’s head, which both times he finished high. The third time was the charm. Messi, this time in a corner, designed a millimeter center to the center, which combed elegantly to score the second (2-0, min. 27).

A bit that brought Barça to the quarterfinals in less than half an hour of the game. Despite this, the team held before the break, knowing how to stop Messi and looking, without hitting, his options in the offensive gaps left by the locals.

In the resumption, Barça defended with the ball. They played and played the premises waiting for their opportunity with a slow ball pace.

Given the tedium, Aguirre moved the bench in the 57th minute, giving entry to Kevin Rodrigues and Eraso. Two changes that preceded the third goal of Barça.

De Jong, gray in the first half, revealed himself with deep assistance to Messi. The Rosario trumpeted his classic diagonal on the left. He crossed the ball with his left foot and, after bouncing with Tarin, misled Cuéllar.

With the game decided, the Barça monologue followed with the ball, also with the entry of Junior, Rakitic and Arthur. It was the Brazilian who closed the win. With the messy Leganés, Ansu tried it first, Messi was not right in the rebound and, from inside the area, the midfielder scored the fourth of the night (4-0, min.77).

Ruibal was left without air in the best opportunity of the Leganés to score the goal of honor shortly before Messi, with a clearing of the space at Rakitic's pass, closed the win, sealed the pass to the quarterfinals of his team and added his Victory number 500 wearing the Barca jacket.

-Data sheet:

5 – Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba (Junior, min. 63); Busquets, De Jong, Vidal (Rakitic, min. 60); Griezmann (Arthur, min. 72), Ansu Fati and Messi.

0 – Leganés: Cuellar; Rosales, Tarín, Siovas, Awaziem, Silva (Kevin Rodrigues, min. 57); Óscar Rodríguez, Roque Mesa (Eraso, min. 57), Rubén Pérez, Ruibal; and Braithwaite (Plomer, min. 71).

Goals: 1-0, min. 4: Griezmann. 2-0, min. 27: Lenglet. 3-0, min.59: Messi. 4-0, min.77: Arthur. 5-0, min. 89: Messi.

Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández, from the Balearic committee. He admonished Rubén Pérez (min. 24), coach Javier Aguirre (min. 63), Awaziem (min. 72) and Rodri Tarín, from Leganés.

Incidents: match of the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey football played at the Camp Nou before 43,216 spectators.