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Soccer PIX: Torres tricks; Inter miss chance to go top

February 07, 2025 09:12 IST

Barcelona joined Real Madrid, Atletico and Real Sociedad in the semi-finals, with the draw set to take place on Wednesday.

FC Barcelona's Ferran Torres celebrates with Raphinha after scoring their fourth goal to complete his hat-trick in the Copa del Rey Quarter Final against Valencia at Estadio de Mestalla, Valencia, Spain, on Thuesday  

IMAGE: FC Barcelona's Ferran Torres celebrates with Raphinha after scoring their fourth goal to complete his hat-trick in the Copa del Rey Quarter Final against Valencia at Estadio de Mestalla, Valencia, Spain, on Thuesday. Photograph: Pablo Morano/Reuters

Forward Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in the first 30 minutes to lead an imperious Barcelona to a 5-0 rout of Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Thursday.

Playing in his home town against his childhood club, Torres scored from a quick counter-attack in the second minute and extended the lead in the 17th when he fired home a rebound from a Lamine Yamal strike that ricocheted off the post.

 

Fermin Lopez scored the third in another counter five minutes later and Torres gave Barca a four-goal lead on the half-hour mark with a strike from the edge of the box.

The visitors took their foot off the gas after the break but Yamal added a fifth goal in the 59nd minute with help from Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, who made a howler when Yamal's shot deflected off his gloves and into the net.

Barcelona joined Real Madrid, Atletico and Real Sociedad in the semi-finals, with the draw set to take place on Wednesday.

It was Barcelona's second thrashing of Valencia in less than two weeks, after a 7-1 victory in LaLiga against opponents who are second-bottom of the standings and struggling to avoid relegation.

"I really wish Valencia the best of luck because outside the pitch I'm just another fan," Torres told TVE after deciding not to celebrate any of his goals out of respect.

"It's hard to see the club of your childhood, the club of your life suffer like this... seeing how they are going through such a hard time."

Barcelona extended their unbeaten run to 10 games after another brilliant attacking performance.

Alejandro Balde started the show by helping Torres beat Valencia's high defensive line with a long pass that he took in his stride before netting a tidy finish.

Torres struck again before Lopez added the third, ghosting behind the line from a pass by Pedri to score.

Pedri threaded a long ball to Raphinha who slipped the ball through for Torres to claim the fourth and Yamal completed the rout.

Inter slump to 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina

Fiorentina players celebrate after their Serie A match against Inter Milan - Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, on Thursday

IMAGE: Fiorentina players celebrate after their Serie A match against Inter Milan at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, on Thursday. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/Reuters

Champions Inter Milan missed their chance to go top of the Serie A standings when they suffered a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina in a rescheduled fixture on Thursday as Moise Kean scored twice for the hosts.

The defeat left Inter in second place on 51 points, three behind leaders Napoli, and Fiorentina moved up to fourth on 42 points, ahead of Lazio on goal difference.

The original match on December 1 was suspended when Fiorentina's Edoardo Bove collapsed on the pitch and was rushed to hospital, and the game restarted at 0-0 in the 17th minute with a Fiorentina throw-in.

Fiorentina were under the cosh early on, with keeper David de Gea parrying a shot from Lautaro Martinez, and Carlos Augusto having a goal chalked off for offside, but the two best chances of the opening half fell to the hosts.

Kean got on the end of a Fabiano Parisi cross and his downward header from the edge of the six-yard box brought an instinctive save with his foot from Inter keeper Yann Sommer.

Kean then turned provider, spraying the ball out wide to Dodo who drove forward into the area but pulled his shot wide of the far post, and the game remained goalless at the break.

Inter struggled to get forward and create any real openings early in the second half, and Fiorentina took a deserved lead from a corner in the 59th minute.

Ranieri arrived from outside the area, getting to the ball ahead of Davide Frattesi and hit his shot first time low into the corner.

There was little in the way of response from Inter, and Fiorentina doubled their lead nine minutes later.

Dodo crossed from the right and Kean pulled away from his marker before powering a header into the bottom corner, this time leaving Sommer with no chance.

Inter responded by making three changes, with Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco and Marko Arnautovic all coming on, but the move failed to inspire the visitors.

Their only chance smacked of desperation with Dimarco attempting to catch De Gea off guard with a lob from distance, but the keeper got back in time to hold onto the ball.

With time running out, and an Inter comeback looking unlikely, Fiorentina wrapped up the win in the 89th minute, the goal coming from a Dimarco howler.

The defender hit a backpass without looking and Kean was there to capitalise, and with the keeper in no-man's land, the striker finished with aplomb to net his 15th league goal of the season, and end Inter's 17-game unbeaten run in the league.

Inter will have the chance for revenge when the sides meet again on Monday at the San Siro.

Source: REUTERS
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