Barcelona takes narrow advantage in Copa del Rey tie vs. Athletic Bilbao

Advantage: Barcelona.

On Wednesday, in the first leg of Barcelona's tie against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey's quarterfinals, the Catalan club escaped San Mames with a 2-1 lead on aggregate by virtue of goals from Munir El Haddadi and Neymar.

Athletic produced some early discomfort for Barcelona, but Ivan Rakitic's 12th assist in all competitions under Luis Enrique rendered the Basque club's attack meaningless.

A goal from Neymar six minutes later - his fourth in the competition - ultimately gave Barcelona a lead that Athletic could not overcome by the final whistle.

The fixture marked the second encounter between Barcelona and Athletic this month, and the second leg of the tie, which goes Jan. 27 at the Camp Nou, will be the third meeting. The two clubs also met in the final of the last edition of the Copa del Rey.