The holders were pushed hard by Racing Santander before their quality told late on, while Valencia handled difficult conditions to see off Burgos and stay firmly on course in the competition.

Barcelona Edge Past Racing Santander

Barcelona secured a 2-0 win over Segunda División leaders Racing Santander at El Sardinero to continue their defence of the Copa del Rey and extend their winning run across all competitions to eleven matches.

After a 15-minute delay caused by fans being held outside the stadium, Barca dominated possession but initially struggled to create clear chances. Dani Olmo miscued from a dangerous Marcus Rashford cross, while Racing looked to exploit Barcelona's high defensive line on the break. Giorgi Guliashvili tested Joan Garcia with a low effort from distance, but that was as close as the hosts came in the first half.

Barcelona increased the pressure after the interval. Rashford forced a save and then dragged a shot narrowly wide before the breakthrough finally arrived. Fermin Lopez slipped Ferran Torres through on goal and the Spain forward showed his composure, rounding Jokin Ezkieta and finishing calmly.

Racing thought they were back in the contest when Manex Lozano found the net twice, but both efforts were ruled out for offside. Garcia then produced a crucial one-on-one save from Lozano deep into stoppage time to prevent extra time.

With the final kick of the match, Barcelona sealed the result as Lamine Yamal tapped in Raphinha's cross at the back post to send the holders safely through.

Valencia Control Burgos in Testing Conditions

Valencia also progressed to the quarter-finals with a controlled 2-0 victory over Burgos CF at El Plantio, coping well with a rain-soaked pitch that made fluent football difficult.

The home side had the first opening but Stole Dimitrievski saved confidently from a close-range Mollejo effort. Valencia soon took control and opened the scoring when Rubo Iranzo powered a header in at the near post from an Andre Almeida corner.

Carlos Corberan's side dominated possession without creating many clear chances, though Burgos remained a threat. Mateo headed over from a promising move, while Valencia missed a counter-attacking opportunity through Umar Sadiq and Largie Ramazani.

Early in the second half, Diego Lopez fired just wide from range before Valencia doubled their lead. Ramazani picked out Sadiq, who finished clinically to give the visitors breathing space.

Burgos pushed late on and came close when Appin struck the crossbar in the 74th minute, while Dimitrievski made another strong save from a header. Valencia stayed composed, with Copete producing a key interception and Jesus denying Arnaut Danjuma late on.

The clean sheet completed a professional night's work and ensured Valencia's place in the quarter-final draw, scheduled for Monday, January 19, as both Spanish giants kept their Copa del Rey ambitions firmly alive.

Steve Barker in awe of current Stellenbosch squad