Ferran Torres Hits Hat-Trick as Barcelona Crush Valencia 5-0 in Copa del Rey Quarter-Finals

Ferran Torres delivered a stunning hat-trick within the first 30 minutes, leading an imperious Barcelona to a 5-0 demolition of Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Thursday.

Playing in his hometown against his boyhood club, Torres opened the scoring in just the second minute with a swift counter-attack. He doubled the lead in the 17th minute, pouncing on a rebound after Lamine Yamal’s shot struck the post. Five minutes later, Fermin López extended Barcelona’s advantage with another counter-attacking goal, before Torres completed his treble on the half-hour mark with a strike from the edge of the box.

Barcelona eased off after the break, but Yamal added a fifth in the 59th minute, capitalizing on a costly error from Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, whose fumbled save deflected the ball into his own net.

With this victory, Barcelona secured their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals alongside Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Real Sociedad. The draw will take place on Wednesday.

It was Barcelona’s second emphatic victory over Valencia in less than two weeks, following a 7-1 LaLiga thrashing of their struggling opponents, who currently sit second-bottom and face a fierce relegation battle.

"I really wish Valencia the best of luck because, outside the pitch, I’m just another fan," Torres told TVE after the match. Out of respect for his former club, he chose not to celebrate any of his goals. "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 with another commanding attacking display. Alejandro Balde set the tone early, lofting a pinpoint pass to Torres, who raced past Valencia’s high defensive line to net a composed finish. Pedri’s incisive playmaking then set up further goals—first assisting Raphinha, who teed up Torres for his hat-trick, before threading a long ball that led to Yamal’s final strike.

With momentum firmly on their side, Barcelona will now turn their focus to the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of silverware.

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