Albacete created several chances in the last half hour and Javi Moreno headed home with three minutes to go to give Hansi Flick’s Barca a scare. Dani Olmo should have doubled Barca’s lead early in the second half when Rashford put the ball on a plate for him but his shot was blocked. Araujo headed in Rashford’s corner as Barcelona doubled their lead and seemed set to cruise to victory, before some late Albacete resistance threatened to upset them. – Holding on –Jefte Betancor, who scored Albacete’s stunning winner against Real Madrid, cut inside Araujo and whipped a shot just wide. Gerard Martin headed Fran Gamez’s effort off the line as Barca endured a nervy five minutes of stoppage time to triumph.

Source: Punch February 03, 2026 22:58 UTC