Five key stats from AD Ceuta 0-5 Barcelona | Copa del Rey | OneFootball

Barcelona cruised to a resounding 5-0 victory against RFEF Primera Division outfit AD Ceuta in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 on Thursday night.

The Blaugrana, in a buoyant mood after their Spanish Super Cup triumph over Real Madrid, had to wait until the 41st minute to open the scoring, with Raphinha breaking the deadlock against the minnows.

The goals started flowing much more freely after that as Robert Lewandowski doubled Barça’s lead five minutes into the second period. Substitute Ansu Fati added the third in the 70th minute before Franck Kessie made it 4-0 not long after.

Lewandowski then netted his second goal of the night on his Copa del Rey debut to add more sheen to the scoreline.

It was a crucial win for Barcelona and one that underlined their intentions and ambitions as they look to go all the way in the Copa del Rey this season.

With the victory, the Catalans have reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the 18th time in the 21st century, the most by any team.

The 5-0 win also meant that Barcelona have now scored 15 goals across their five matches across all competitions since the turn of the year, with all these games being away from home.

While the goals flowed at the other end, Barça managed to secure a clean sheet against AD Ceuta on the night, despite fielding a largely second-string defensive line.

In the process, the Catalans kept a clean sheet away from home in the Copa del Rey for the first time since January 2021, bringing an end to a six-game run of conceding in the competition on the road, their longest such streak since January 2004 – October 2006 (also six games).

Raphinha stood out yet again in the cup tie for Barcelona, as he scored a goal and also set up Kessie’s goal in the second period.

It means that the Brazilian has been directly involved in seven goals (3G, 4A) in his last ten games for Barcelona, after having a hand in just two (1G, 1A) in his first 14 appearances for the club.

Ansu Fati’s exclusion from the starting XI left a lot of fans frustrated on Thursday night. But the youngster came off the bench in the second half and made an impact, scoring the Catalans’ third goal.

The 20-year-old has featured in each of Barcelona’s 26 matches this season – the only player to do so. He has now scored three goals in 156 minutes of action in 2023, averaging a strike every 52 minutes.

Thursday night was a special occasion for La Masia prospect Angel Alarcon as he made his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey clash against AD Ceuta, when he came on as a substitute for Raphinha in the 80th minute.

In the process, the 18-year-old striker became the ninth La Masia player to make his senior debut under Xavi.