Hansi Flick lauded his side’s persistence after late goals from Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford secured a 2-0 win over Guadalajara in a challenging Copa del Rey opener.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised his team’s mental fortitude following a hard-fought 2-0 victory against third-tier CD Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey.
Despite controlling over 80 percent of possession, the reigning champions struggled to break through a resilient low block for much of the evening.
Flick highlighted the difficulty of such “deceptive matches,” where lower-division opponents compete with maximum intensity, requiring the favorites to maintain their focus until the final whistle.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 79th minute when Andreas Christensen’s headed effort took a heavy deflection to find the net.
Marcus Rashford then secured the win in stoppage time, rounding the goalkeeper to score his first goal of the cup campaign.
Flick noted, “I’m happy with my players’ attitude on the field. That’s the key to our victory. It’s not always easy to score in matches like this, but we did.”
The win also marked a defensive milestone for Barcelona, who recorded their first away clean sheet since August.
Young defender Pau Cubarsí reached 100 appearances for the club during the match, becoming the youngest defender to achieve the feat in over a decade.
Reflecting on the gritty performance, Flick added, “They defended well. It was difficult, and we knew that. I really appreciate the work the lads did,” emphasizing the importance of resilience.