Barcelona Beat Murcia 3-0 in 2017 Spanish Copa Del Rey Leg 1

Barcelona comfortably beat Murcia 3-0 on the road, as the Catalan giants prevailed in the first leg of the round of 32 in the 2017 Copa del Rey. 

Paco Alcacer opened the scoring on the brink of half-time, and Gerard Deulofeu doubled the lead soon after the restart.

Jose Arnaiz made it 3-0 after 56 minutes, with the visitors totally dominating possession and the match.

The visitors highlighted the victory via their official Twitter account:

Barca travelled to the game with a fresh starting XI, rotating their options as expected.

Coach Ernesto Valverde plumped for a youthful selection, as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were given the night off.

An early error by Javier Mascherano almost allowed the hosts to take a shock lead, but the Catalan side soon took control of proceedings.

Murcia continued to show endeavour without the ball, attempting to outwork their opponents, and it took until the 44th minute for the visitors to score.

Alcacer linked with Deulofeu, and the Spanish striker headed home to break the deadlock before the half-time whistle.

Ferran Viros/Associated Press

Deulofeu gave a fine performance, and the 23-year-old was rewarded with a spectacular goal at the start of the second half.

The clever player beat two men and found the back of the net from a tight angle to double Barca's lead.

Barca were now in full flow and total control, and there was no surprise when they scored for a third time.

Supporters gasped as Arnaiz effort from range smashed into the back of the net at high velocity.

The effort effectively ended Murcia hopes, and they were well beaten long before the final whistle.

Ferran Viros/Associated Press

Valverde took the liberty of exercising his bench in the last 20 minutes of the game, giving Denis Suarez a run out as a substitute.

Alcacer should have grabbed his brace in the final stages of the contest, but the striker was beaten in the air as he attempted to score.

Substitute Ivan Rakitic also went close to making it 4-0, but the cultured midfielder could not find a finish.

Barca took their time to move through the gears after a lacklustre first half, but the hosts deserve credit for their passionate crowd and wilful side.