Ferran Torres netted a blistering hat-trick as Barcelona dismantled Valencia 5-0 on Thursday to book their place in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal also found the net for the record 31-time Spanish Cup winners, who dominated at a frustrated Mestalla stadium.
Earlier in the evening, Real Sociedad secured a spot in the final four with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Osasuna, joining Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in a stacked semifinal lineup.
Torres Torments Former Club
With Robert Lewandowski rested, Torres took center stage, punishing his former club with three goals in the opening 30 minutes.
The Spanish forward struck in the third minute, latching onto an inch-perfect Alejandro Balde pass before slotting home clinically.
His second came in the 17th minute when Lamine Yamal’s shot rebounded off the post and fell perfectly into his path for an easy finish.
Lopez made it 3-0 soon after, bursting into the box to collect Pedri Gonzalez’s precise pass, rounding goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, and calmly slotting into the net.
Torres completed his hat-trick on the half-hour mark, finishing low and accurately from the edge of the box after being teed up by Raphinha.
His outstanding display raised further questions about Barcelona’s attacking setup, as they have now scored five or more goals in their last four matches without Lewandowski in the starting lineup.
Frustration Grows for Valencia
The heavy defeat deepened the frustration for Valencia fans, many of whom left Mestalla early, continuing their ongoing protests against owner Peter Lim.
It was their second drubbing by Barcelona in just two weeks, following a crushing 7-1 defeat at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in LaLiga.
Valencia briefly thought they had pulled one back early in the second half when Umar Sadiq found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Sadiq later won a penalty, but it was also overturned after a VAR review confirmed he was offside in the buildup.
At the other end, Yamal struck the post again, but this time the ball bounced away to safety. The 17-year-old eventually got his reward, squeezing a deflected shot past Dimitrievski to wrap up the scoring.
Real Sociedad Complete Semifinal Lineup
Meanwhile, in San Sebastián, Real Sociedad eased past Osasuna with a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Ander Barrenetxea and Brais Méndez.
Osasuna had beaten Sociedad 2-1 in LaLiga just days earlier, but their hopes of a repeat were dashed when Alejandro Catena saw red for a reckless challenge in the 35th minute.
This marks Sociedad’s third Copa del Rey semifinal appearance in six seasons, with their last triumph coming in the 2020 edition.