Intercity 3-4 Barcelona (ap): Blaugrana survive huge Copa scare after Soldevila hat-trick

Ansu Fati scored a winner in extra time as Barcelona beat third-tier Intercity 4-3 in the Copa del Rey after Oriol Soldevila's hat-trick.

An upside-down tie saw the Blaugrana repeatedly frustrated by the minnows after Ronald Araujo's early efforts suggested a comfortable night for the 31-time winners.

That certainly wasn't the case, with Soldevila's hattrick equalizer sending the tie into extra time after Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha each restored Barcelona's lead.

But Soldevila and Intercity couldn't repeat the feat for a fourth time after Fati struck decisively in the 103rd minute.

A quick start for Xavi's side had seen Araujo take the lead in the corner from Pablo Torre with just four minutes on the clock, but the defender had to quickly clear the line at the other end, and Intercity went on is further improved after half-time.

A deserved equalizer followed just before the hour mark, with Vadik Murria nodding for a corner for Soldevila to fire past the helpless Inaki Pena.

The scores were only tied for seven minutes as Dembele latched on to Gavi's pass to make an effort on Gaizka Campos, but Intercity fought back again and Soldevila faced no challenge from Jordi Alba while directing his second.

Alba redeemed himself with an assist for Raphinha at the other end, only for the winger to be brilliantly denied by Campos, with Soldevila bursting from the following corner to sensationally force extra time.

A fortuitous fourth place in Barcelona would suffice, however, as Fati's deflected effort deceived Campos to send the visitors into the last 16.

What does this mean? The Blaugrana avoid getting angry

Barcelona can boast an excellent record against lower level teams in the Copa del Rey, but it was far from the comfortable game many expected.

The win extends the Blaugrana's run in the Copa del Rey to 22 games against lower league opponents without elimination, a streak that dates back to October 2004 when they suffered a 1-0 loss to Gramanet.

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Intercity can certainly hold their heads high, having become the first team in the third tier to score three goals in a single Copa game against Barcelona since Novelda won 3-2 in September 2002.

Dembele dazzles

Dembele's rejuvenation under Xavi's stewardship has been well documented and, after scoring Barcelona's second in the game, he is now the player who has been directly involved in the most goals under the Camp Nou manager .

A tally of 28 (eight goals, 20 assists) puts the France international ahead of the rest in this regard.

Hero of the hat trick

Soldevila's hat-trick brought his name to light despite the loss, as he became the first Spanish player since Aritz Aduriz in 2015 to score a hat-trick against Barcelona.

His three goals came from four shots on target, the most of any player on the pitch, and just five touches inside the opposition box.

What's next?

After the draw in the round of 16, Barcelona will travel to La Liga against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.