Barcelona's Dembele in 'lethal' form of late - Xavi

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez lauded "lethal" Ousmane Dembele after the France forward's goal downed Real Sociedad in Wednesday's Copa del Rey quarterfinal at Camp Nou.

Dembele sealed a scintillating performance with his third goal in six games as Barca beat 10-man La Real 1-0 to book their place in the semifinal.

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In addition to his goal, Dembele caused the away side problems throughout the game with his pace and created a great chance for Gavi, who hit the crossbar.

"I think Dembele has matured a lot since we took over," Xavi said in a post-game news conference. "We have just given him the tools. He is lethal. We always say when he comes inside, he has to shoot more because he has that quality and he can make the difference in games.

"You see the faces of the full-backs, they suffer. We have just given him confidence. He has so much potential. I believe in him. I think a lot of this comes down to making the right decisions. He is also enjoying himself and the fans are enjoying him."