A match in the third round of the King's Cup saw Barcelona face off against Bawastro. Barcelona has fallen behind in the league, trailing Real Madrid by 5 points and Atletico Madrid by 3 points, only able to rank third. It is surprising how quickly Barcelona, which played so well at the beginning of the season, has declined. In the last seven league matches, Barcelona has won only one game, which is quite unbelievable. In the last two games, Barcelona lost both, first to Leganes and then to Atletico Madrid. This time, on the King's Cup stage, Barcelona faced Bawastro, a team from the Xieyi League. This was a must-win game for Barcelona. As a result, Barcelona swept Bawastro and advanced to the next round.
In this game, Barcelona lined up in a 4231 formation. Lewandowski led the attack upfront. The attacking trio of Fermin Lopez, Pedri, and Torre worked together. Eric Garcia and De Jong formed the double pivot in midfield. Gerard Martin, Inigo Martinez, Araujo, and Kounde started as the four defenders. Szczesny was the starting goalkeeper.
Soon after the start of the game, Barcelona created a threat, with Kounde heading for goal, but unfortunately, he missed. Four minutes later, Lewandowski headed for goal from the middle of the penalty area, also missing. In the 19th minute, Barcelona used a corner kick opportunity to create a chance, with Araujo heading close-range, but the goalkeeper reacted quickly and saved the ball. In the 21st minute, Barcelona finally scored. Araujo received a cross in the penalty area, headed the ball across to the center, and Eric Garcia headed it in!
In the 25th minute, Fermin Lopez shot powerfully from inside the penalty area, but it went high. Five minutes later, Barcelona scored again. It was another header, this time Lewandowski heading it in. In the 37th minute, Fermin Lopez took a low shot from the edge of the penalty area, but it was too straight and lacked power, allowing the goalkeeper to save it. At halftime, Barcelona led Bawastro 2-0.
In the second half, Barcelona replaced Pedri with Gavi. In the 47th minute, Barcelona scored again. Torre provided a wonderful pass, Lewandowski made a run, and scored with a single shot, doubling his tally. Nine minutes later, Torre took advantage of the opponent goalkeeper's mistake and easily scored. In the 81st minute, Fati's long-range shot was saved. Then, Fermin Lopez's one-on-one shot was stopped by the goalkeeper. Ultimately, Barcelona defeated Bawastro 4-0, ending their two-game losing streak. The 21-year-old genius Torre put on an impressive performance, scoring three goals on his own, including one goal and two assists.