Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford played his part in a valiant comeback attempt from Barcelona against Atletico Madrid.
Marcus Rashford missed Barcelona’s 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final due to illness.
He played a role in their fightback last night as they won the second leg 3-0, just missing out on forcing extra-time.
FC Barcelona v Atlético de Madrid - Copa Del Rey
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Marcus Rashford snubbed as starter again
Barcelona’s preferred front three is Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski.
This has meant Rashford has struggled for regular starts and has not played a full 90 minutes for the club since October.
Robert Lewandowski suffered a fractured eye socket in Barcelona’s recent game against Villarreal and was ruled unavailable for the semi-final second leg.
The Spanish press had expected Rashford to play a prominent starting role as Lewandowski’s replacement.
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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick decided to start Ferran Torres instead, leaving Rashford on the bench.
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Rashford close to tie-equalling assist
Marcus Rashford was sent on in the 64th minute with Barcelona 2-0 up through goals from Marc Bernal and Raphinha.
He replaced Fermin Lopez, and just eight minutes later Bernal had added a second goal to make it 3-0.
The stage was set for Barcelona to score a fourth and send the game to extra-time, but they could not find the breakthrough.
Rashford could not find an opportunity of his own, unable to even attempt a shot at goal, while he was tasked with taking four corners.
His biggest moment came in the 89th minute on the edge of the box when he cut back a pass into Bernal’s path.
Bernal had the chance to score his hat-trick, but blazed over the bar, failing to test the goalkeeper.
This was the difference between a glorious comeback and a valiant failure.
Rashford did his part. If Bernal had scored, then the Manchester United forward would have been hailed for his contribution.
It was not an easy chance, but Bernal should have hit the target and tested the goalkeeper.
Rashford could then have had 30 extra minutes in extra-time to try and score a winner.
More opportunities should await Rashford in the coming weeks, when they face Newcastle in the Champions League over two legs.
Negotiations are ongoing for Barcelona to sign Rashford on a permanent basis.
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