Barcelona have been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, following their 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night.
Williams Brothers Inaki and Nico both scored in extra time of a thrilling quarter-final clash to send Barcelona packing.
Gorka Guruzeta gave the hosts an early lead with a strike from a rebound inside the first minute.
But Barca hit back before the break with two goals within five minutes through Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
Athletic fought back to level in the 49th minute with a towering header by Oihan Sancet, before they went on to win the tie in extra time.
Athletic join Real Sociedad, Mallorca and the winner of Thursday’s clash between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla in the semifinals.
Athletic Club sends Barcelona crashing out the Copa del Rey
Los Cules fell to a 4-2 defeat in Bilbao after extra time
Barcelona’s chances of a successful season took another hit on Wednesday evening as they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey after a 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao.
The defeat leaves Barcelona out of all domestic cup competitions in Spain this season after their Copa Del Rey failure, leaving only the Champions League as a chance to win a trophy, with La Liga looking unattainable as well.
Hopes were high for the match in Bilbao, yet it didn’t take long for Xavi and Barcelona to be under pressure, with Athletic Club’s opening goal coming inside the first minute of play.
Slow starts have been a symptom of Barcelona’s malaise of late, and this appeared to be yet another example of that negative characteristic.
Gorka Guruzeta was in the right place at the right time to convert a rebound powerfully into the roof of the net.
The ball fell to him inside the penalty area in a beneficial position and he was unable to miss, such was the glorious nature of the chance.
Barcelona had to regroup, and to their credit, they managed to do just that, finding an equalizer after 26 minutes.
As a mistake from Athletic Club’s defense, handed Robert Lewandowski the opportunity to roll the ball into the net from close range.
The brilliance was soon to come though. Lamine Yamal has been one of the bright sparks of the Blaugrana campaign to this juncture, and he provided a goal of the season contender to put the visitors into a shock lead.
Yamal picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a magical shot after cutting in on his left foot which arrowed into the far side of the net, much to the delight of the Barcelona bench.
However the Williams brothers displayed heroic moment as they scored to put Barca to the death.
Nico Williams has been having a wonderful season in his own right this term, and he added another assist to his record with a fine chipped pass into the path of Oihan Sancet. The defender leapt above all others inside the box and nodded the ball into the net.
With the score level at 2-2, extra-time was on the horizon, with both teams having a chance to book their place into the next round.
The first period of extra-time was uneventful until the final minute, with Inaki Williams getting on the scoresheet this time.
He got onto a rebound and converted a shot to make it 3-2 to the Basque club, heading into the final 15minutes
Barcelona were unable to find an equalizer, ensuring they were eliminated from the tournament, although the hosts were able to add an exclamation point to their win with a fourth goal.
Nico Williams this time on the score sheet, taking advantage of Barcelona attacking forward seeking an equalizer, Nico utilized the chance and he fired a powerful shot inside the net to nail the coffin.
After 120 minutes of football action, it finished 4:2 in Bilbao in favour of Athletic Club.
