Barcelona suffer fresh blow as Alejandro Balde limps off injured in Copa del Rey clash against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona were dealt another painful setback as Alejandro Balde left the pitch in tears after suffering an injury during their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.

The young left-back had only just come on to replace the injured Jules Kounde when he was forced off around the 70th minute, visibly emotional as he headed down the tunnel.

At the time of Balde’s exit, Barca were leading 2-0 on the night but still facing a huge 4-0 deficit on aggregate after the heavy first-leg defeat. The defender appeared to pick up a serious problem that required on-pitch treatment before he could be substituted, further depleting an already stretched backline.

His departure sucked some of the energy out of Camp Nou, with tension rising in the stands as fans watched yet another key player suffer an untimely blow. The injury adds to Hansi Flick’s growing selection problems in defence at a critical point in the season.

Barcelona will now assess Balde’s condition in the coming hours amid fears he could be sidelined for several weeks, dealing a significant blow to their hopes across multiple competitions.
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