Four teams have qualified to the semi-finals after the strong fight amongst them. Barcelona scores a 1 – 1 draw at home ground (Camp Nou) in the first leg of the Copa del Rey’s semi-final. After the first leg, Barcelona has started making decisions on Philippe Coutinho’s future. The 26-year-old Brazilian International left Liverpool in 2018 to complete a move to the Spanish club. However, many fans feel that he has failed to replicate his brilliant form at the Reds during his time with Barcelona. Philippe Coutinho has made 38 appearances for Barcelona and scored 12 times so far, but he has come under heavy criticism from fans. The Spanish newspaper reports that the club won’t actively put Coutinho up for sale during the season, but they won’t turn a blind eye to any offers made for him.
The match took a throttle as Los Blancos took the lead through Lucas Vazquez in the early stages of the game, but they were unable to extend their advantage before the half time break. The Catalans responded in the 2nd half as Malcolm scored with a fine strike to find the Equaliser after a scramble in and around the Madrid box. Later on, Coutinho was replaced by Messi, who was not fit enough to play the full-time game. Neither team was able to force another breakthrough, leaving the tie in the balance heading into the second leg. Amongst the two managers, Santiago Solari will be happier and will look forward to using the home-field advantage to advance to the final for the first time since 2014.
