Defending champions Barcelona had to dig deep at Racing Santander but eventually did enough to book their place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
It was a night of surprises in the competition, with Real Madrid crashing out on Wednesday after a shock defeat to second-division side Albacete in Álvaro Arbeloa’s first match in charge following Xabi Alonso’s departure.
Barça, who lead La Liga, also found life uncomfortable against lower-league opposition and struggled to turn dominance into goals. The breakthrough finally came in the second half when Ferran Torres burst through the defence and calmly finished.
With Santander pushing late on, teenage star Lamine Yamal sealed the win in stoppage time, meeting Raphinha’s cross at the far post to make sure there were no last-minute scares.
Before the opener, Barcelona had enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked cutting edge. That changed when substitute Fermín López threaded a superb pass through the defence, allowing Torres — wearing the captain’s armband — to round goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta and score.
Santander, who currently top Spain’s second division, are chasing a return to La Liga for the first time since 2012 and showed why with a spirited performance.
Hansi Flick’s side, who lifted the Copa del Rey last season with an emphatic final win over Real Madrid, will find out their quarter-final opponents when the draw is made on Monday.