Barcelona Overcome Racing Test; Real Madrid Stunned in Copa del Rey Round of 16

SANTANDER, Spain — FC Barcelona secured their place in the quarterfinals of the 2025/26 Copa del Rey with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Racing Santander at El Sardinero on Thursday night.

While the scoreline suggests a comfortable evening for Hansi Flick’s side, the match was anything but routine. The current leaders of the Segunda División pushed the Catalan giants to the limit in a physical, high-tension encounter.

Match Highlights: Racing 0-2 Barcelona

The first half was a cagey affair, with Racing's disciplined defense frustrating Barcelona's creative outlets. Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres struggled to find space, and the teams went into the break scoreless.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 66th minute. Ferran Torres showcased his composure, latching onto a through ball and slipping a clinical finish past Jokin Ezkieta. Racing didn't fold, however, and thought they had equalized twice, only for both efforts to be ruled out for offside—including a heart-stopping moment in the 86th minute where Marco Sangalli hit the back of the net.

In the dying moments of stoppage time (90+5'), Lamine Yamal settled the nerves for the traveling Culers. After a massive save by Joan Garcia at one end to deny a certain Racing equalizer, Barcelona broke on the counter. Raphinha provided the assist, and Yamal tapped into an unguarded net to seal the 2-0 win.

Round of 16 Results at a Glance

The Round of 16 provided one of the biggest shocks in recent tournament history as Real Madrid fell to lower-league opposition.

Matchup

Result

Key Note

Racing Santander vs. Barcelona 0 - 2 Torres (66'), Yamal (90+5')

Albacete vs. Real Madrid 3 - 2 Real Madrid eliminated in Arbeloa's debut

Deportivo vs. Atlético Madrid 0 - 1 Atleti edge through in a tight affair

Burgos vs. Valencia 0 - 2 Los Che advance comfortably

Real Betis vs. Elche 2 - 1 Betis survive late scare

Real Sociedad vs. Osasuna 2 - 2 (4-3 pen) La Real win on penalties

Alavés vs. Rayo Vallecano 2 - 0 Alavés dominate the all-LaLiga tie

Cultural Leonesa vs. Athletic 3 - 4 Seven-goal thriller in Leon

What's Next?

Barcelona’s reward for their victory is a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash against Atlético Madrid, a match that is already being billed as a potential "final before the final." Meanwhile, the tournament remains wide open following the shock exit of Real Madrid at the hands of Albacete.