“I have been a Culé (Barcelona fan) since birth. I was already very happy with the first goal, I still can’t believe the second and third. I’m very happy for us,” said the winger, who represented the famous Barcelona academy in the youth categories, after the match.
But he did not make it any further and, like many talented footballers, he left to seek his fortune elsewhere. He anchored in the Birmingham under-21 team for two seasons, then returned to Spain in the summer to the current 16th team of the third league.
“We knew we would suffer and mainly run after the ball, but it was a great game. The best footballers in the world stood against us. We’re leaving with our heads held high,” he smiled despite Soldevila’s loss. Moreover, he is the first player since Kylian Mbappé’s feat in February 2021 to score a hat-trick for Barcelona.
Interestingly, the Intercity players drew 0-0 with the B team of their Wednesday night game in December. On Tuesday, however, they had the leaders of La Liga on their shoulders. They lost three times in the match, but thanks to their star with number 18, they were able to equalize each time. The favorite then sent Ansu Fati to the round of 16 in extra time.
“We were in the game for promotion the whole time. When a coach sees faith and determination in his charges, he can only be proud of them. The goal was to present ourselves as a worthy opponent. Of course, we are not used to playing at such a pace, so in the end the boys were at the limit of their physical capabilities. But they left everything there and could still equalize again,” coach Gustavo Siviero praised.
On the contrary, for Barcelona it is another demonstration that its main problem at the moment is the inability to bring well-played matches to a successful end. “This match worries me,” coach Xavi admitted after the duel with Intercity.
Already at the end of 2022, his team lost a 1-0 lead in an emotional city derby with Espanyol. “That was the first warning, now came the second. We can’t be satisfied, but this is what happens in the cup. We could have bounced back to 2-0 or 4-2, but we made it difficult for ourselves. We weren’t good enough in any of the penalty areas,” explained Xavi. Now he also has a weekend league stunner with Atlético Madrid and then the Super Cup semi-final against Betis.
