"I’m a Real Madrid fan, but this kid is a genius" - Guadalajara star showers praise on Barcelona man after Catalan side's Copa Del Rey win

Guadalajara defender Jorge Casado has expressed his admiration for Barcelona superstar Pedri in the aftermath of their Copa Del Rey meeting. The reigning champions eased past the third tier side to progress to the Round of 16 of the competition, winning 2-0 away from home.

Experienced defender Casado spoke with reporters after the game at the Pedro Escartin Stadium near Madrid, singling out Pedri for praise. He admitted to being wowed by the performance of the Spain international despite being a Real Madrid fan and expressed his delight at seeing Pedri represent Spain.

“I’m a Real Madrid fan, but this kid is a genius. He has a gift, it’s wonderful to watch him and how lucky we are to be able to enjoy him in the Spanish national team", he said (via Barca Universal).

Pedri started the game on the bench for Barcelona, with Marc Bernal and Frenkie De Jong named in the starting lineup instead. The 23-year-old was given a run out with 15 minutes remaining in the game, and his introduction coincided with the game opening up for his side.

Pedri completed 20 of 21 passes during his time on the pitch, including two of three long passes attempted. He also made two ball recoveries and delivered two passes into the final third for his teammates. The praise for the young midfielder comes in the immediate aftermath of his maiden inclusion in The Best FIFA Men's XI, having made the lineup this year.

Barcelona avoid Copa Del Rey shocker thanks to two late goals

Reigning champions Barcelona avoided a shock elimination from the Copa Del Rey at the hands of third division outfit CD Guadalajara in the city of Guadalajara. Hansi Flick's side scored twice in the final 15 minutes to book their place in the next round of the competition.

Flick named a strong XI to face Guadalajara but they found it difficult to break down the minnows despite having 85% of the ball and ten shots in the first half. The second half yielded fruit despite a slight drop in possession to 80% as they finally broke down their opposition.

Andreas Christensen rose highest to power home a cross from Frenkie De Jong to open the scoring in the 76th minute of the encounter. La Blaugrana doubled their lead in the 90th minute through Marcus Rashford, who latched onto a through ball from Lamine Yamal before rounding the goalkeeper and scoring.