Barcelona Survive Unionistas Scare, Return To Winning Ways In Copa del Rey
Areturn to Copa del Rey action proved to be the perfect tonic for Xavi Hernandez, as his Barcelona side ran out 3-1 winners away from home against third-tier Unionistas.
After a disastrous Clasico defeat in the Supercopa de Espana final in Riyadh, there has been immense pressure placed upon Xavi with regards to his job security.
Joan Laporta continued to publicly back the former Al-Sadd coach, although Rafa Marquez is widely tipped to be the next chosen one at the helm of the Catalan giants.
Barcelona survived an early scare on Thursday
However, whilst many were predicting a comfortable victory for a fragile Barcelona, the evening got off to the worst possible start as Unionistas took a shock lead.
Barcelona supporters feared that Thursday evening was going to turn into one of those landmark occasions, remembered only for shame, that come around every generation, like the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.
After just 31 minutes of play Alvaro Gomez was able to showcase a good amount of awareness inside the penalty area, getting on the end of a smart pass before firing a first-time strike into the roof of the net.
It was a perfect moment for Unionistas and Juan Serrano who claimed the assist, and Barcelona has their backs against the wall.
To be fair, the visitors had controlled possession to that point and had recorded five corners as opposed to the zero registered by the lower league side.
Unionistas were ahead for just over 12 minutes before Ferran Torres continued his own good individual form with a well-taken shot when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper
Jules Kounde then turned into the unlikely savior for the Blaugrana, firing the visitors into the lead with a stunning strike after 70 minutes.
The French defender shuffled past his marker with the ball at his feet before firing a long-range drive goalwards. It pinged into the back of the net, leaving Ivan Martinez watching the ball in disbelief.
Alejandro Balde then raised the bar even further, making it 3-1 with a fine left-footed drive into the top corner. After a weaving run through the defense, his shot rattled the post before bouncing into the net.
It was far from vintage Barcelona, but when the team is in the midst of such a difficult moment, results are everything.
A 3-1 win away to Unionistas does little to keep the wolves from Xavi’s door, so to speak, yet it keeps their chance of a domestic trophy alive, which in the end could save him.
