Brutal and deserved ovation from the Camp Nou to Dembélé!

Since Leo Messi's departure in the summer of 2021 it has been difficult to see the Spotify Camp Nou surrender to one of their own. Well, the 59,610 culés that accompanied the team on Wednesday were rewarded with an exhibition to remember Ousmane Dembélé, by far the 'MVP' of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Real Sociedad. In 76 minutes, Vernon's man did everything to take the culés to the semifinals of the tournament.

Xavi Hernández opted once again for the XI that dominated Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, with Jules Koundé as a winger this time and Ronald Araújo as a center back along with Andreas Christensen. The former Sevilla defender managed to enable 'Dembouz' in the 52nd minute with a filtered pass to the right side. The '7' deployed all his speed to get rid of the mark and, when the pass to the middle seemed logical, he saw the space at the near post and shot Álex Remiro from the right.

The goal gave FC Barcelona a breather, although Real had an opportunity to equalize thanks to Culés' defensive oversights. Dembélé kept trying until Xavi replaced him in minute 76 with Xavi Hernández. A successful change from every point of view. Rest for Vernon's, minutes for '10' and the chance for the entire Camp Nou to recognize the great game of '7'.

« Il transformera les sifflets en applaudissements »
Ce soir le Camp Nou s’est levé pour lui.
Quel match de @dembouz!👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/OruBmWNfTy

— Mxhdii❤️‍🔥 (@Friguiniight) January 25, 2023

Applause and chants chanting his name made Ousmane, usually serious, go to the locker room with a smile. Also eloquent was his celebration after the 1-0 draw, jumping with his left fist clenched while the fans were still trying to understand how he managed to beat Remiro with such a poor shot from an angle. The Frenchman literally broke the goal of the Spanish goalkeeper. A real goal.

Xavi's praise for Dembélé

After the game, the Egarense coach revealed the 'key' to the good performance of 'Dembouz' since his arrival on the culé bench. "We try to guide Dembélé so that he makes the best decision on the field. I see tremendous conditions for him and he continues to be one of the best in his position. At Barça you have to have the ability to change your mentality and believe it and I think that at this stage he is getting it. I see him very happy", sentenced the míster of Terrassa. While the '7' is happy, there will be plenty of reasons to get excited about this Barcelona.