Barcelona 2 - Espanyol 0: Coutinho makes debut as Messi and Suarez secure win
PHILIPPE COUTINHO made his eagerly awaited Barcelona debut as the Catalan giants beat local rivals Espanyol 2-0 to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
GETTY
Barcelona were desperate to avoid the embarrassment which Real Madrid faced the previous day as they were knocked out of the cup by Leganes.
Ernesto Valverde’s side had to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit at the Nou Camp.
And their full-strength squad raced out of the blocks as Luis Suarez headed home Aleix Vidal’s cross inside eight minutes.
Lionel Messi put Barcelona in control of the tie with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box on the 24th minute.
The La Liga leaders knew that they were one goal from exiting the competition and pushed for another goal advantage.
Related articles
Philippe Coutinho makes Barcelona debut against Espanyol – Best pics
Thu, January 25, 2018Philippe Coutinho has made his long-awaited debut for Barcelona against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey
1 of 11
Philippe Coutinho has finally made his Barcelona debut against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey
They introduced Coutinho on the 67th minute and he almost made an instant impact when linking up with former Liverpool team-mate Suarez but the forward’s effort was well saved.
Messi and Suarez both went close late as Barcelona hung on for a 2-1 aggregate win.
Coutinho was making his first appearance since moving to Barcelona for £142million.
And he was warmly received by the home supporters when he replaced Andres Iniesta.
