Xavi has expressed disappointment as Barcelona suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals at Camp Nou.
Despite holding a one-goal advantage from the first leg, Barca was unable to contain Madrid in the second leg, resulting in a 4-1 aggregate defeat.
Barca dominated the first half but failed to capitalize on their opportunities, with Thibaut Courtois making a vital save to deny Robert Lewandowski. Moments later, Madrid’s Vinicius Junior equalized, setting the stage for a dominant second-half display from the visitors, who were propelled by a hat-trick from Karim Benzema.
Xavi was left frustrated by the result, admitting that it was a difficult night for him and his team to digest.
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The loss marks a missed opportunity for Barca to compete for a domestic cup title, adding to the growing pressure on Xavi to turn things around at the club.
“It is a difficult night to digest. This is football,” Xavi speaking in a post-match interview.
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“You have to compete better. We competed well until 1-0. They are moments that we have to stop. We could have also stopped the 2-0 moment. In short, they are details that we have to control.
“In the first half we were very good, but that’s what I said: football is about moments and we didn’t take advantage of them. When football is so even, you have to take advantage of the moments. We didn’t do it in the first half and they did in the second. They have been superior, no excuses.
“I already said yesterday that Madrid were favourites. We cannot argue that they are a great team. They are the LaLiga and Champions League champions and they do not forgive.
“When you don’t kill Madrid, they kill you.”
Despite the elimination, Xavi’s men hold a 12-point lead over Madrid at the top of LaLiga, and he is hoping his team can put this setback behind them to kick on and claim the title.
“We had a very bad second half, but we have to get up,” he said. “Tomorrow we will get up with all the hope to beat Girona.
“It is a tough result, but we have to focus on the league.“
