BARCELONA: Pedro gave Barcelona coach Luis Enrique a reminder of his talents on Tuesday with a hat-trick in the Spanish giant’s 8-1 second leg thrashing of third-tier Huesca to secure a 12-1 aggregate win in their last-32 Copa del Rey tie.

Pedro, who has largely been relegated to the bench for Liga and Champions League games since Uruguayan Luis Suarez’ long suspension ended, scored with a header, despite being off balance, a neat left-footed shot and then a bullet of a right-foot effort all the goals coming in a 23 minute period of the first-half.

The treble took his tally for the season to five.

Sergi Roberto, Andres Iniesta, Adriano, Adama Traore and Sandro also got on the scoresheet as a far from first choice Barcelona gave Enrique a much needed healthy win, albeit against lower league opposition, after the disappointment of the 0-0 draw with Getafe in La Liga at the weekend.

Barcelona, who join fellow La Liga rivals Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia in the last 16, will play either Elche or Valladolid in the next round.

“It is difficult for me to imagine a better game than this,” Enrique said.

Paco Alcacer hit a brace for 10-man Valencia as they drew 4-4 with Rayo Vallecano in a pulsating match at the Mestalla and went through to the next round 6-5 on aggregate.

Emotions also ran high in Celta Vigo’s 3-1 win over Las Palmas, where the hosts needed Fabian Orellana to curl in a strike in stoppage time to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory and Almeria came out on top 6-4 in their tie with Real Betis.

Published in Dawn December 18th , 2014