Ibiza comes close to making history

The Segunda División B team came close to making history by eliminating their powerful rival. They opened the scoring in the first half through Javi Pérez and had unbeatable opportunities to secure the tie.

However, they succumbed to the experience of a Barça team that had to give its all to avoid an early elimination, as had happened in the past in the Copa del Rey against Segunda B teams such as Figueres, Novelda, and Gramanet.

Just nine minutes had been played when Ibiza lit up Can Misses with a goal from Javi Pérez, the first chance for the hosts in the opposition's area. The Madrid-born forward, a former player for Almería and Valladolid's reserves, got ahead of Riqui Puig in the box and scored past Neto.

Barça was caught off guard by the intensity of Pablo Alfaro's team, who played a typical game for their category: defensively solid, aggressive in all areas of the field, and always alert to counterattacks.

A second goal for Ibiza came in the 16th minute, scored by Rodado, but it was disallowed due to a foul by Lenglet.

It was clear that the current LaLiga leaders' plans were not working on the island of Ibiza.

Quique Setién opted for a 3-4-3 formation with only one pure central defender, Frenchman Clement Lenglet, supported by Semedo and Junior on the wings.

Sergi Roberto, Frankie de Jong, Iván Rakitic, and Riqui Puig were positioned in midfield, with Ansu Fati, Antoine Griezmann, and Carles Pérez up front.

Messi, Piqué, and Busquets were left out in Barcelona by technical decision, and Luis Suárez and Dembelé were sidelined due to injury.

The small size and artificial turf of the playing field made it difficult for the visitors to transition their game. The star-studded Barça team was barely noticeable, and the crowd had a great time chanting "yes, we can" and "let Can Misses bounce".

Ibiza continued doing their thing and came very close to increasing their lead in the 38th minute after Raí's shot hit the post. Ángel Rodado took advantage of the rebound, but Neto made a crucial save to send the ball out for a corner.

That action, which could have been decisive, was a faithful reflection of what happened in the first half. Barça was at the mercy of their opponent, failed to shoot on goal, and made serious defensive mistakes.

Time started to work against Quique Setién's team in the second half. The Cantabrian coach sought to give his team more verticality by bringing on Jordi Alba for Carles Pérez, but all his players' efforts were met with a wall of sky-blue shirts.

Rakitic (67') tested Germán Parreño with a weak and central shot, the first shot on target for the Blaugrana.

This was the preamble to Barça's equalizer, scored by Griezmann after a perfectly executed assist by Frankie de Jong.

The Catalan team faced the final quarter of an hour with Arthur Melo and Arturo Vidal, who replaced Riqui Puig and Rakitic, respectively. The match seemed destined for extra time until Antoine Griezmann scored the winning goal in the 94th minute, securing a last-minute comeback for the Blaugrana.

The French forward completed Barcelona's dramatic comeback, canceling out all the notable efforts made by the Ibiza players to stand up to their all-powerful rival, who had been on the ropes for much of the tie.

- Lineup:

1 - UD Ibiza: Germán; Kike López, Gonzalo, Mariano Gómez, Grimá; Javi Pérez, Nuñez, Javi Lara (Sibo, 76'); Caballé (Carbiá, 85'), Rodado (Mendoza, 72'), Raí.

2 - FC Barcelona: Neto; Semedo, Lenglet, Junior; Sergi Roberto, De Jong, Rakitic (Arturo Vidal, 81'), Riqui Puig (Arthur Melo, 70'); Ansu Fati, Griezmann, Carles Pérez (Jordi Alba, 58').

Goals: 1-0, 9' Javi Pérez; 1-1, 72' Griezmann; 1-2, 94' Griezmann.

Referee: González Fuentes (Asturian Committee). Yellow cards: Kike López, Mendoza, Sibo, and Grima (Ibiza); Ansu Fati (Barcelona).

Incidents: Match corresponding to the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey held at the municipal stadium of Can Misses with 6,445 spectators, the maximum capacity of the Ibiza venue. About a thousand fans watched the match on a giant screen at the Es Pratet sports hall.