FC Andorra Crashes Out of Copa Catalunya in 2-1 Loss to Barça Atlètic

FC Andorra crashed out of the Copa Catalunya semi-finals with a 2-1 defeat to Barça Atlètic at Estadi Johan Cruyff on Saturday, extending their winless run to five matches and marking a fourth straight loss across all competitions.

Despite an aggressive start from the LaLiga Hypermotion side—two divisions above their Segunda RFEF opponents—defensive errors proved costly. Josep Cerdà missed narrowly from range in the second minute and drew a foot save from Emilio Bernad two minutes later after an Álvaro Cortés mistake. Aingeru Olabarrieta hit the near post at the 13th minute. Jesús Owono then denied Brian Fariñas's low free-kick following Álex Petxarroman's caution around the 17th minute, with Diego Alende and defender Bomba also booked early.

Barça Atlètic took the lead in the 22nd minute. Fariñas switched play to Òscar Ureña, whose effort Owono parried; Toni Fernández set up cousin Guillermo "Guille" Fernández for the rebound. Theo Le Normand equalized six minutes later with a first-time strike after Álvaro Martín's poor touch in the box. Toni Fernández tested Owono again before the break.

Andorra pressed after halftime, with Olabarrieta and Martí Vilà creating chances, but momentum waned. Referee Gonzalo Romero ignored handball appeals against Alende on a Guille Fernández shot. Coach Carles Manso introduced all five substitutes between the 69th and 70th minutes: Yeray Montano for Martín, Lautaro de León for Marc Cardona, Carrique for Bomba, Marc Domènech for Efe Akman, and Minsu Kim for Cerdà. Yeray's curling effort from distance clipped the post shortly after.

The decisive moment came in the 76th-77th minute when Olabarrieta lost the ball in buildup play. Toni Fernández assisted Joaquín Delgado for the winner. In a frantic finish, Shane Kluivert struck the post, Toni Fernández hit the frame and drew a stop from Owono, while Bernad thwarted Yeray and Alende late on. Four minutes of stoppage time brought no equalizer.

Additional yellows went to Guillem Víctor (56th) and Bernad (81st) for Barça Atlètic. Attendance stood at 728.

Andorra arrived without nine regular league players, including Áron Yaakobishvili, Edgar González, and Manu Nieto, using the match to rotate squad and build confidence ahead of Sunday's home league clash against Zaragoza at Encamp (16:15). Pre-match, Manso had emphasized the competition's value, as stated after beating Europa in extra time during the quarters. "Whoever plays well will get a chance this weekend against a strong opponent," he noted. Domènech, a former Barça youth product, added that every game offered improvement opportunities toward another title—Andorra have won the trophy three times, twice in the modern era.

Barça Atlètic, fifth in Segunda RFEF Group 3 under Juliano Belletti, had skipped a league game against Castelló B due to weather and advanced past NSA 2-1 at Camp Joliu with goals from the now seriously injured Roger Martínez and Fariñas. Last season in Primera RFEF, Andorra won both meetings: 3-1 at Johan Cruyff (Lautaro de León, Alende, Manu Nieto; Fernández) and 2-1 at home (Álvaro Peña, Martín; Òscar Ureña).

The final pits Barça Atlètic against the winner of Sunday's Sabadell-Nàstic semi-final at Nova Creu Alta (19:00). Andorra remain 17th in LaLiga Hypermotion on five points from 21 games, one above the drop zone.