Barcelona survived a tough test against Racing Santander, the current leaders of the Spanish second division, to secure a 2-0 victory and advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. The match, held at El Sardinero in Santander, proved to be a complicated affair for the defending champions.

The game was delayed by 15 minutes due to access problems at the stadium, with heavy rain making it difficult for the expected sellout crowd of around 22,000 fans to enter.

Racing Santander, who eliminated Villarreal in the previous round and are currently leading the Segunda División, proved to be a formidable opponent. They played a highly physical game, contesting every loose ball and making life difficult for Barcelona throughout the first half. Barcelona, fresh off winning the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid, entered the match on a ten-game winning streak.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 66th minute when Ferran Torres scored on a breakaway, receiving a pass from Fermín López, bypassing the goalkeeper, and finding the open net. Barcelona had already made changes, aiming to maintain possession and increase their attacking aggression.

Racing Santander fought hard for an equalizer, even having two goals disallowed for offside in the 77th and 86th minutes. They also squandered a golden opportunity in stoppage time, but Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García made a crucial last-minute save on a shot by Manex Lozano. Lamine Yamal sealed the victory for Barcelona in the sixth minute of added time. The match ended with a final score of 2-0.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick was without Andreas Christensen, who is out long-term, Gavi, who is still recovering from a knee injury, and Frenkie de Jong, who was suspended after receiving a red card in the Super Cup. Racing´s coach José Alberto López welcomed back Juan Carlos Arana, Pablo Ramón, and Clément Michelin, with Asier Villalibre as the team's only absentee.

Barcelona's confirmed lineup was Joan García; Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Alejandro Balde; Marc Casadó, Marc Bernal; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Marcus Rashford; Ferran Torres. Racing Santander's confirmed lineup was Jokin Ezkieta; Álvaro Mantilla, Javier Castro, Manu Hernando, Mario García; Suleiman Camara, Aritz Aldasoro, Maguette Gueye; Íñigo Sainz-Maza, Juan Carlos Arana, Giorgi Guliashvili.

Despite the victory, Barcelona's Ferran Torres acknowledged the difficulty of the match, stating that Racing Santander was well-prepared with many quality players. With this win, Barcelona advanced to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.