Real Murcia 0-3 Barcelona Copa del Rey: match report, goals, as it happened
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Real Murcia 0-3 Barcelona: match report
José Arnáiz scored on his Barcelona debut as Ernesto Valverde’s side recovered from a stodgy first half to beat Real Murcia at the Nueva Condomina. Paco Alcácer put Barça ahead on the brink of half time, before Gerard Deulofeu added a second shortly after the break. Arnáiz rounded off the victory four minutes later with a well-taken shot from the edge of the box.
Ernesto Valverde rested his key players for the trip south to Real Murcia, who find themselves languishing at the wrong end of Segunda B, Spain’s regionalised third division. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Gerard Piqué were among those to sit out as the Barcelona B duo of Carles Aleñá and José Arnáiz came in to the team. It was a first-team debut for the latter, who joined from Valladolid in August.
The home side fed off the energy of the bumper crowd in the early stages, and enjoyed the best chance of the first 15 minutes as Álex Ortiz glanced a header wide at the far post. They missed another guilt-edged opportunity just before the half-hour mark. Nadjib found Fernando Llorente with a cut-back after a surging run to the byline, but the No.10 leant back at the crucial moment and blasted the ball over the bar.
Paco Alcácer, handed a rare opportunity in attack, was less profligate. He made no mistake when Deulofeu floated a tempting cross towards the penalty spot, heading the ball back across the ‘keeper and in to the corner.
Barça strolled out for the second half with inflated confidence. Deulofeu turned from provider to scorer after 52 minutes, as he evaded two desperate challenges before sliding the ball beneath Santomé and in to the bottom corner.
José Arnáiz marked his debut with a goal four minutes later. The 22-year-old winger dropped a shoulder and burst inside from the left before thrashing a shot in to the far post. The newcomer showed enough to suggest that he could challenge Gerard Deulofeu for a spot on the left wing when LaLiga, and a 4-3-3 formation, returns.
Real Murcia remained stoic, their spirit typified by tireless striker Elady. They will visit Camp Nou at the end of November with their hopes of progression slashed, but their dignity intact. Barça look set to march on in pursuit of a fourth consecutive Copa del Rey.