Sevilla double leaves Barca with mountain to climb in Copa del Rey
Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona’s hopes of winning the Copa del Rey this season were left hanging by a thread on Wednesday after Sevilla won the first leg of their semi-final 2-0.
Jules Kounde furthered his growing reputation as one of the world’s most exciting central defenders by scoring a stunning goal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan before Ivan Rakitic came back to haunt his former club by adding a second late on.
The 22-year-old Kounde dribbled past three Barca defenders and shot into the corner while Rakitic’s strike turned a setback for Ronald Koeman’s side into what now looks like a formidable challenge to make the final.