Barcelona secured a 3-2 win over fourth tier Barbastro on Sunday night, and with it passage through to the Copa del Rey Round of 16 for which the draw will be made today. However the it was far from comfortable, with Barbastro in striking distance for much of the finals stages.
A tense Xavi Hernandez complained of a disallowed goal for Joao Felix after the match, and following the final whistle, went to do the same with the fourth official. Two Barbastro players, seemingly without motive shoved Xavi as he did so, much to the confusion of the Blaugrana coach.
Meanwhile assistant manager Oscar Hernandez, Xavi’s brother, also went to protest to the fourth official, and ended up sent off by the referee. In the match report, as cited by Cadena SER, he went to protest with an ‘enraged attitude’. He will not be on the bench for the Round of 16 due to suspension.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was not the flavour of the month with the Barbastro players after their 3-2 to win in the Copa del Rey.pic.twitter.com/SGJ2aGSeGz
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 8, 2024
Crespo, the Barbastro captain that pushed Xavi initially, apologised to the Barcelona manager in the tunnel, admitting that he had gotten caught up in the moment.
This follows on from an uncomfortable exchange between Xavi and the press following their win over Las Palmas last Thursday too. It appears the pressure is very much beginning to show in Xavi’s demeanour, as the Blaugrana continue to struggle game in, game out. Their last win by more than one goal was on the 19th of September, approaching four months ago, and it is no surprise that the atmosphere in Can Barca is tense.
