Five-star Barca maul Murcia

Barcelona's second string put on a show as they demolished Real Murcia 5-0 to book their place in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Wednesday.

Five different players got on the scoresheet for Barca, such was their dominance that Murcia failed to have a shot on target all game.

Carles Alena and Oriol Busquets – of no relation to Sergio – were the only B players in the Catalans' XI, while Gerard Pique returned in central defence after having served a one-match ban.

Barca were already comfortable before a ball was kicked, thanks to a 3-0 win in the first leg, and they took the lead on 16 minutes through Paco Alcacer, who was gifted a header into an empty net.

Despite ending the first half with 74 percent possession, the Blaugrana went in at the break with just a goal to their name, but the restart saw them definitively take Murcia apart.

Pique opened the floodgates when he finished off Aleix Vidal’s cutback, and the right-back looped a fabulous header over Alex Santome just four minutes later.

Sergi Roberto also capped his comeback from injury with a perfectly-executed, lobbed pass for Denis to roll in for 4-0, before Jose Arnaiz rounded things off with his second goal of the tie, the winger driving home from the edge of the box.

Barcelona 5-0 Real Murcia (8-0 agg.)

Alcacer 16, Pique 56, Vidal 60, Denis 74, Arnaiz 79

Barcelona: Cillessen; Semedo (Arnaiz 79), Pique (Costas 57), Vermaelen, Digne; Oriol (Sergi Roberto 62), Alena, Denis; Vidal, Alcacer, Deulofeu

Real Murcia: Santome; Vega, Orfila, Mateos (Ortiz 64), Melgar; Juanma, David Sanchez (Jara 69); Nadjib, Fernando Llorente, Molinero; Renato (Pedro Martin 60)

Referee: Alberola Rojas

Tags Real Murcia
La Liga - Club News