Guadalajara 0-2 Barcelona: Christensen and Rashford put Flick's team into the Copa round of 16

FC Barcelona deservedly won, but with much more suffering than expected, against CD Guadalajara in the round of 32 of the 2025-2026 Copa del Rey. Pere Marti's team, with good defensive work and an inspired goalkeeper Dani Vicente, managed to hold the zero for 76 minutes against the LaLiga leader.

In the end, the Barça hierarchy prevailed with goals from **Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford** in the second half, after a match that started half an hour late due to problems with fan entry into the stadium.

Barça dominated the match from the start, with a lineup with many surprises in terms of names and tactical setup. In addition to Ter Stegen's presence in goal, Marcus Rashford appeared as the '9', with Fermín López and Roony Bardghji as wingers and Lamine Yamal once again as an attacking midfielder.

After a first half of absolute Blaugrana dominance, but without goals, Barça finally managed to break the tie with a goal from Christensen in the 76th minute. Marcus Rashford, in the 90th, made it 0-2 definitive. A worthy Guadalajara sold their defeat dearly, but Flick's men, with suffering, advance to the Copa del Rey round of 16 to continue their title defense

Barça struggled to break down Guadalajara's defense

Eric García almost scored in the 6th minute, with a shot from midfield that nearly surprised goalkeeper Dani Vicente. Frenkie de Jong, in the 10th minute, missed a cross from Fermín in front of goal, which the Dutchman reached uncomfortably to finish. Roony, Lamine, and Fermín himself tried with shots from the edge of the box, attempting to break down Guadalajara's deep defensive block.

Pere Martín's team sat deep near their goal, but without losing their shape between the lines with a **very compact 4-5-1 formation**. Barça opted for quick circulation and tried to exploit speed on the wings, especially on the left, with Jofre Torrents playing very high up.

Eric García had the best chances before halftime, both headers from crosses by Yamal and De Jong. The first was saved on the line by Vicente. The second went slightly high. Despite having 82% possession and 11 shots (5 on target), the Barcelona team could not break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes.

Christensen and Rashford, Barça's goalscorers in Guadalajara

Andreas Christensen scored Barça's 0-1 against Guadalajara

At halftime, Hansi Flick decided to bring on Pau Cubarsí in place of Marc Bernal. The midfielder had been cautioned for a tackle on Cañizo in the 29th minute, and with the substitution, Eric moved up to play as the pivot. The '24' remained very active in attack, taking another long-range shot on goal right at the start of the second half.

Rashford also moved to the left flank in the second half, while Fermín played as an attacking midfielder and Lamine returned to the right wing. Roony, after the break, acted as the focal point in the box. The adjustment brought more dynamism to Barça's attack, especially on the right, where the team lacked depth in the first half with a Casadó who lacked penetration

Dani Vicente denied 'Rashy' a goal with two great saves, quickly closing down to reduce the angle of the Englishman's shot. The minutes passed and Flick had no choice but to bring on Pedri, Balde, and Koundé to seek victoryIn the 76th minute, a cross from Frenkie found the head of Andreas Christensen, who appeared alone on the left to finally break the deadlock. Guadalajara almost managed to equalize a couple of minutes later, but Ter Stegen, with a spectacular dive, denied Tavares a goal.

Towards the end, in the 90th minute, Marcus Rashford scored the second and decisive goal, taking advantage of a pass from Lamine Yamal to finally beat Dani Vicente with a dribble and score into an empty net.

Thus, Barça, with more suffering than expected, but deservedly, advanced to the Copa round of 16, in a match where they took 22 shots (8 on target), but only managed to secure qualification at the end.

Match Report: CD Guadalajara 0-2 FC Barcelona

• CD Guadalajara, 0: Dani Vicente; Miguel Cera (Gómez, min. 83), Ablanque, Casado, Moreno (Gallardo, min. 62), Julio Martínez; Pablo Rojo, Samu Mayo (Tavares, min. 72), Borja Díaz (Caropitche, min. 62), Manu Ramírez (Calvo, min. 62); Cañizo.
• FC Barcelona, 2: Ter Stegen; Casadó (Koundé, min. 75), Eric Garcia, Christensen (Gerard Martín, min. 86), Jofre Torrents (Balde, min. 63); Marc Bernal (Cubarsí, min. 46), De Jong; Roony (Pedri, min. 75), Lamine Yamal, Fermín; Rashford.
• Goals: 0-1, Andreas Christensen (min. 76); 0-2, Marcus Rashford (min. 90).
• Referee: César Soto Grado. For Barça, he cautioned Marc Bernal. For Guadalajara, he cautioned Manu Ramírez, Samu Mayo, and Javier Ablanque.
• Stadium: Pedro Escartin of Castilla-La Mancha.
• Incidents: match corresponding to the round of 32 of the 2025-2026 Copa del Rey.