Barcelona rout Valencia again to reach Copa del Rey semifinals

MADRID (AP) — Ferran Torres scored a hat trick in the first half hour to lead Barcelona to another rout of Valencia and a spot in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday.

Torres scored in the third, 17th and 30th minutes in Barcelona’s 5-0 win at Valencia. Fermin López scored in the 23rd and Lamine Yamal in the 59th for the Catalan club, which less than two weeks ago had handed Valencia a 7-1 rout at home in the Spanish league.

“We thought it was going to be a very difficult game but we were lucky enough to score early,” said Torres, a former Valencia and Manchester City forward. “That’s what got them down. I wish them all the luck, I hope they escape relegation because I’m just another fan. It’s hard to see the club of your life suffer like this. They’re having a really bad time.”

Valencia, sitting second-to-last in the Spanish league and enduring an off-the-field crisis related to fan protests against Singaporean owner Peter Lim, was runner-up to Real Betis in the Copa in 2021-22.

Barcelona hadn’t made it to the Copa semifinals since being eliminated by Real Madrid in 2022-23. It last won the competition in 2020-21.

The Catalan club has outscored its opponents 26-11 in its last seven matches across all competitions.