MADRID — Barcelona faced another obstacle in their efforts to register Dani Olmo, yet they managed to secure a decisive 4-0 victory against the fourth-tier club Barbastro in the Copa del Rey on Saturday.

After they were again denied by both the Spanish league and the national federation concerning the registration of Olmo and Pau Víctor for the full season, the team dominated Barbastro during the round of 32. Robert Lewandowski was a standout performer, netting two goals, while Eric García and Pablo Torre also contributed to the scoreline.

This match marked Barcelona’s first win following a streak of losses in La Liga at the end of the previous year.

Another defeat would have compounded the club’s embarrassment over their inability to register Olmo and Víctor, stemming from a missed deadline related to the league’s financial fair-play regulations.

Although the players had been registered only until the end of 2024, Barcelona’s inability to clear sufficient salary cap space prevented them from reintroducing these players to the squad.

Despite ultimately meeting the financial fair-play requirements, the league and federation announced on Saturday that the players could not be registered again after having previously been dropped for the missed deadline.

It is anticipated that Barcelona will seek legal recourse to try and register the players once more.

The team had also knocked out Barbastro at the same stage of the Copa last season.

The match was briefly delayed in the second half due to an injury to Barbastro’s Jaime Ara, who suffered a head injury following a collision with Barcelona defender Iñigo Martínez, prompting his exit on a stretcher.

García opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 21st minute, while Lewandowski added to the tally both before and after halftime, and Torre completed the rout in the 56th minute.

In other results from the weekend, Atletico Madrid progressed past Marbella, a third-division team, with Antoine Griezmann scoring the decisive goal in the 16th minute. This marked the 13th consecutive victory for Diego Simeone’s squad across all competitions, tying the club record.

In contrast, Sevilla experienced elimination at the hands of second-division club Almeria, losing 4-1 despite taking an early lead through Isaac Romero just five minutes into the match. Almeria equalized with a goal from Marko Milovanovic, and Luis Suárez netted a hat trick, ensuring the hosts’ progression.

Defending champions Athletic Bilbao had a more challenging path, needing penalties to overcome the fourth-tier Logrones after a 0-0 draw during regulation and extra time. Athletic triumphed in the shootout 4-3.

Additional notable matches included Osasuna’s advancement following a 2-1 victory over Tenerife and Real Betis’s narrow 1-0 win against Huesca, courtesy of a first-half goal by Isco.