Lamine Yamal put on a spectacular show as Barcelona sailed into the Copa del Rey quarter-finals with a dazzling 5-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday. Atletico Madrid joined them in the last eight with a 4-0 win at second division Elche, their 15th consecutive triumph across all competitions. Barca’s 17-year-old starlet Yamal scored and helped create two more goals as Hansi Flick’s side ran riot at the Olympic Stadium. Gavi sent Barcelona ahead early on, with Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Yamal helping the Catalans rack up an impressive win.

After winning the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last weekend by thrashing Real Madrid, Barca came into the cup clash with restored confidence, having stuttered in the final weeks of 2024.

“We have to continue like this,” said Barca defender Pau Cubarsi, also 17, who came through the club’s youth academy with Yamal.

“I’ve been enjoying watching him for many years, now the whole world is, and he deserves it all.”

Barca dominated from the off against Betis, despite the coach resting a couple of key players including striker Robert Lewandowski.

Dani Olmo, whom Barcelona controversially obtained a temporary playing license for last week, started at false nine in place of the Polish veteran.

The Spaniard helped create the opening goal at the sharp end of a neat team move, with Gavi tucking home in the second minute.

Olmo fired over and hit the post during a particularly busy opening period for the former RB Leipzig playmaker.

Kounde smashed in Barcelona’s second after the sublime Yamal dinked a ball through to him on the right of the box.

It was an area the Catalans exploited time after time, with Kounde’s second goal from a similar position disallowed for a marginal offside.

At the other end goalkeeper Inaki Pena made a fine save to deny Vitor Roque, on loan at Betis from Barcelona.

Gavi ‘big talent’

Early in the second half Yamal, who taunted Betis’ defence throughout, finished clinically after Frenkie De Jong lobbed the ball through to him on the right of the box, but it was disallowed for an offside in the build-up.

Minutes later Barcelona scored their third anyway, with Yamal’s surging run from deep in his own half ending up with his deflected effort falling to Raphinha, who struck.

Barcelona netted their fourth when, again exploiting the same part of Betis’ area, Olmo chipped a pass to substitute Ferran Torres to finish emphatically.

Yamal finally got on the scoresheet himself after breaking in from the right wing and finishing at the near post.

Roque pulled one back from the penalty spot in the final stages for Betis after Kounde stood on Jesus Rodriguez’s foot in the penalty area.

Gavi said after the game Yamal was the best player in the world after former Barca forward Lionel Messi, and Flick also praised the winger.

“Gavi’s very emotional, so I say also yes (he’s the best),” joked Flick.

“You can see it, in great matches you see big talent and he showed it many many times, he’s on a good (path).”

Yamal, who shone for Spain as they won Euro 2024 last summer, has nine goals and 13 assists across all competitions for Barcelona this season.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone rested some of his regular starters, including Antoine Griezmann, as his team ran out comfortable winners at Elche to continue their winning streak.

Alexander Sorloth struck twice for the Rojiblancos in the first half, and the visitors were further bolstered when Elche’s Nico Fernandez was sent off early in the second half.

Rodrigo Riquelme extended Atletico’s lead with a fine strike from distance and Julian Alvarez rounded off the rout.

On Thursday Spanish champions Real Madrid host Celta Vigo and cup holders Athletic Bilbao welcome Osasuna.

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal inspired Barcelona to a first win in four La Liga outings as they beat Mallorca 5-1 on Tuesday. The comprehensive victory brings the Catalans to 37 points at the top of the league table, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, but with two extra matches played. Carlo Ancelotti’s Spanish and European champions will have the chance to cut that lead back to one point on Wednesday when they travel to Athletic Bilbao. Mallorca stay sixth in La Liga, still two points behind Bilbao in the final Champions League spot.

Ferran Torres gave Barcelona the lead, before Vedat Muriqi equalised to ensure the sides were level at the end of an even first half.

Raphinha and Yamal then lit up the second half as the away side ran riot with the Brazilian scoring a double, followed by strikes from Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor. 

“We knew how important it was to win again. In the last three games something has been missing. Today we were good, it wasn’t our best game but winning was the most important thing,” Barcelona captain Raphinha told Movistar.

Barcelona were boosted by the return of teenage starlet Yamal, who started the match after recovering from an ankle problem.

Hansi Flick’s side dropped points in the two league outings Yamal missed, and were also defeated last time out at home to Las Palmas when he was only fit enough to start on the bench.

The hosts gifted Barca the lead in the 12th minute when panicked defending resulted in Torres being presented with a golden opportunity when there seemed to be no danger.

As a trio of Majorcan defenders shepherded the ball back to their goalkeeper, full-back Johan Mojica suddenly decided to try to lash it away, only to smash the ball straight into Antonio Raillo and it fell perfectly to the feet of the Barcelona forward, who duly stroked home the opener.

The Catalans’ high defensive line caught Mallorca out on several occasions as they tried to spring their attackers with passes over the top.

Mallorca were, however, starting to build pressure on Barcelona, though the visitors remained dangerous on the counter with their fleet-footed attacking quartet of Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Torres.

A second goal in the match did not seem far away, for either side, and it came for the hosts in the 43rd minute.

Inigo Martinez was deeper than the rest of the Barcelona line and Pablo Maffeo timed his run onto Sergi Darder‘s pass to perfection, before rolling the ball across to Muriqi to tap into an open net.

– ‘Give everything’ –

Another defensive lapse nearly restored the visitors’ lead on the stroke of half-time, but goalkeeper Leo Roman bailed out Raillo for his poor back-header by denying Raphinha one-on-one. 

The Mallorca ‘keeper thwarted the Brazilian again early in the second period, punching away a fizzing free-kick from close range.

But it was eventually third time lucky for Raphinha in his duel with Roman as he flashed a 56th-minute penalty just beyond the Spaniard’s reach.

The sheer pace of the returning Yamal had earned the spot-kick as he raced onto Olmo’s through-ball, before being brought down by Mojica inside the box.

Barcelona struggled creatively in Yamal’s absence, and the 17-year-old displayed his brilliance again moments later when an inspired backheel created a chance out of nothing, until Pedri‘s snapshot was blocked.

Raphinha made the game safe for Barcelona with 14 minutes remaining when he knocked home a magnificent outside-of-the-foot cross courtesy of Yamal.

“I’m living my best moment but I don’t want to stop there. I want to do much more for this crest. It’s a club that I love enormously. Everything I can give on the pitch, I’ll give it,” said Raphinha.

Euro 2024 winner Yamal repeated the trick five minutes later, this time finding the forward run of Victor, whose pass across goal was cut out, but only as far as the onrushing De Jong who finished unerringly.

De Jong then turned provider in the final 10 minutes as he squared for 23-year-old substitute Victor to score.

Yamal could have capped off a superb second-half showing, but his dinked finish near the end was well saved by the defiant Roman.