Barcelona booked their ticket for the Copa del Rey semifinals after defeating Athletic Bilbao (3-1) at the Camp Nou, taking their aggregate score to 5-2. Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and Neymar scored the goals for the Blaugrana, who enjoyed 65 percent of possession, created 18 goalscoring chances and attempted 15 shots, nine of them on target.
The Catalans were clearly inferior in first half. Having learnt their lesson in their previous five meetings this season, Athletic pressed all over the park from the initial whistle and forced the hosts into constant struggle when building from the back. With 32 losses of possession in the first 45 minutes, it would be fair to say that Barcelona manager Luis Enrique had plenty to discuss with his players during the break.
Barca's attitude improved visibly in the second half, with attacking transitions becoming much more frequent and incisive. While the game remained an intense, high-tempo contest, the far more purposeful approach by the Catalans was the decisive factor which unbalanced the game in their favour.
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