Barcelona sealed their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals thanks to an emphatic 5-0 victory at home to Leganes on Thursday night.
After struggling to overcome Segunda B side UD Ibiza last week with Lionel Messi left at home, coach Quique Setien called up the Argentine attacker for this one and he started in the last-16 clash
Antoine Griezmann, who had netted both goals in the comeback win in Ibiza, gave Barca the lead inside four minutes as he controlled a ball from Nelson Semedo and slid a low shot into the corner from inside the area on the right.
Griezmann saw another ruled out for a questionable offside shortly afterwards, when he converted from close range after Arturo Vidal had seen a shot saved.
Defender Clement Lenglet later made it 2-0 just short of the half-hour mark as he glanced in a header from a very tight angle from a corner.
Apart from an attempt by Martin Braithwaite which flew just wide inside 30 seconds of the start, Barca had been in total control and Leganes rarely looked like scoring.
Messi made it 3-0 after 59 minutes, when he was set up by Vidal, lost the ball briefly but got it back and hit a shot which clipped the heel of a Leganes defender and found its way into the net.
Substitute Arthur Melo got in the act 11 minutes from time, when he dispatched a loose ball after Ansu Fati had seen a shot saved by Ivan Cuellar and a Messi effort had been blocked by Chidozie Awaziem.
And there was still time for another as another substitute, Ivan Rakitic, slid a low ball pass through for Messi and the Argentine rounded Cuellar before smashing a fierce shot into the roof of the net after 88 minutes.
Barca moves on to the last eight of the Copa del Rey and will learn the identity of their quarter-final rival in Friday’s draw.
