Xavi said Barcelona will now focus on winning La Liga after they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by arch-rivals, Real Madrid
By Kehinde Okeowo
Barcelona manager, Xavi Hernandez has revealed his team’s priority after they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid on Wednesday night at Camp Nou.
Los Blancos hammered their arch-rivals 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final to progress with a 4-1 aggregate, as they overcame a 1-0 deficit from the reverse fixture at Santiago Bernabeu
A goal from Vinicius in the first minute of additional time of the first half and a hattrick from Benzema in the second half ensured Real Madrid trashed Barcelona.
The loss means Real Madrid advanced into the Copa del Rey finals after dumping Xavi’s men out of the cup competition.
The cup exit also followed eliminations from the Champions League and Europa League earlier this season.
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However, Barca have won the Super Cup already and have one hand on a first La Liga title since 2019.
Speaking after the defeat, Xavi said his side will now focus on winning the La Liga.
“We have to keep competing. If we win La Liga and the Super Cup, it will be a very good season. This result should not tarnish that.
“We are hurting today, it will be hard to sleep tonight, especially as the fan that I am. But from [Thursday] we think about Girona. We have lost in the semifinal of the Copa, but now we focus on La Liga,” Xavi said.
Despite the painful defeat, Barcelona are still favourites to clinch the Spanish title, as they hold a 12 point advantage over Real Madrid in second with just 10 games to go.