Copa Del Ray: Athletic Club knocks Barcelona out to reach semis
It was another disappointment for Barcelona, as the club was expecting to go to the Copa del Rey semifinals for the second straight season.
Barcelona on Monday sacked manager Quique Setien after their embarrassing 2-8 defeat against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of Champions League.
The club confirmed the decision in an official statement issued on Monday following an emergency directors’ meeting that was called in the wake of the crushing defeat.
“The board of directors have agreed that Quique Setien is no longer the first-team coach. This is the first decision within a wider restructuring of the first-team which will be agreed between the current technical secretary and the new coach, who will be announced in the coming days,” confirmed the FC Barcelona website.
Advertisement
Setien had joined Barcelona in January this year after the Catalan giants had sacked Ernesto Valverde. During the seven months in charge, Setien coached the first team in 25 matches: 19 in the league, three in the Champions League and three in the Copa del Rey. The breakdown of his results was 16 wins, four draws and five defeats.
Former Barcelona defender Ronald Koeman, who is currently the coach of the Dutch national team, is the favourite to replace Setien.
Barca were knocked out of the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in February and Friday’s humiliation against Bayern means the club ends the season without a trophy for the first time in 12 years.
Meanwhile, against Bayern Munich, it was the first time since 1946 that Barcelona conceded eight goals. Their last such embarassment had come 74 years ago when Sevilla defeated them 8-0. Exiting the Champions League, Barcelona finished their season without any significant title for the first time since 2008.
The eight goals scored in Lisbon by Bayern Munich are the most scored by any team in a knockout game in the history of Europe’s premier club competition.
Advertisement
