Flick lauds Barca's resilience after edging past Guadalajara
Barcelona had to dig deep to start their Copa del Rey title defence off with a win, but struck two late goals to beat Guadalajara.
Hansi Flick hailed Barcelona's attitude after they fought to a 2-0 win over Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on Tuesday.
Barcelona initially struggled to break down their third-tier opponents, but Andreas Christensen's heavily deflected header and Marcus Rashford's late strike got them over the line.
Flick's side dominated throughout, boasting 82.6% possession while accumulating 1.9 expected goals (xG) from their 21 attempts, with nine of those on target.
Barca eventually finished with 13 shots in the opposition box but had been limited to long-range efforts in the first half as they struggled to break down Guadalajara.
And Flick noted just how tough the hosts, who were playing in the third round of the competition for the first time in their history, made it for the reigning champions.
"They defended well. It was difficult, and we knew that," Flick said.
"I really appreciate the work the lads did. Christensen was very good. We work to win every game.
"These matches aren't easy; I've said that before. I'm happy with my players' attitude on the field. That's the key to our victory. It's not always easy to score in matches like this, but we did."
Barca kept a clean sheet in an away match for the first time in all competitions since August 16 against Mallorca in LaLiga, ending their worst run of conceding on the road (10 matches) since February 2024 (12).
Pau Cubarsi came on in the second half, and at 18 years and 328 days old, became the youngest defender in LaLiga to reach 100 appearances in all competitions since at least the 2013-14 season.
"These are deceptive matches," Cubarsi said. "They come out with all their strength, and we have to come out with the same.
"They did a spectacular job, but we deserved it. We had more rhythm and chances in the second half.
"In a low block, you have to move them from side to side quite quickly. As the minutes passed, they got tired, and we moved them around well.
"Very happy to have played 100 official matches with the club of my life. Let's hope there are many more."
