After playing a starring role against Albacete, Gerard Martin expressed regret that FC Barcelona could not seal the victory earlier, despite believing the team showed a strong attitude from the outset.
FC Barcelona defender Gerard Martin asserted that in Copa del Rey matches, like their 2-1 victory against Albacete on Tuesday, “if you don’t finishes them off early, you end up suffering.”
Gerard Martin emerged as the key figure in the dying minutes at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium. He initially provided an assist for Ferran Torres just before full-time, which would have extended FC Barcelona’s lead to 3-1 had the referee not disallowed the goal for offside. Moments later, he then cleared a Fran Gamez effort off the line deep into stoppage time, preventing the match from going to extra time.
“I was furious about the disallowed offside goal, but I was fortunate enough to clear the ball when I saw him control it and positioned myself under the goal,” he explained, reflecting on both pivotal moments.
Nevertheless, the ‘Cules’ defender highlighted the team’s mentality heading into the quarter-final clash: “We knew attitude was crucial today, and that they would press us intensely. We saw what happened with Celta and Real Madrid, and we started fully focused from the first whistle.”
