Barcelona (EFE) he got the locals out of the Copa del Rey final, in a classic in which the punch and talent of the whites decided the tie.
The semifinal lasted thirteen minutes, the time it took, between the addition of the first half (46 + 1) and the 58th minute, Vinícius and Karim Benzema, on two occasions, to dismantle Xavi Hernández’s plan. The Frenchman capped off a memorable performance with a hat trick in the 81st minute.
At the best moment, Real Madrid reappeared from the big games. Ancelotti finally won the game against Xavi and put an end to a streak of three consecutive victories for the Egarense in the classics. The locals, penalized for the casualties, lacked the talent that their rival did show in the area, where the packing games are resolved.
After losing the three classics played in 2023, ‘Carletto’ was daring. The loss of Ferland Mendy was covered with Camavinga on the left side, ahead of Nacho Fernández, placed Fede Valverde in the midfield accompanying Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, and brought on Rodrygo to form the offensive trident along with Vinicius and Karim Benzema.
His daring approach did not surprise Barça out of the four midfielders in the first half. Without the injured Pedri and De Jong, the quarterback formed by Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Kessié and Gavi acted. They did not clash with the ball and they met with high pressure, one of the hallmarks of Xavi’s squad.
Goal in the last minute of the first part
It was precisely the pressure that allowed Barcelona to dominate in the first half hour. It was difficult for Real Madrid to drown out their rival in the area and waited for their moment in isolated plays. In two of them, Vinícius, blocked by Araujo, and Rodrygo put fear in the body of the Barça defense, who longed for Christensen, injured, in construction.
Barcelona controlled the duel, which lacked some depth. He couldn’t do it with Raphinha, excellently supervised by Camavinga. Alejandro Balde punished Carvajal and it was a nightmare for the white defense.
From the left came a shot from Sergi Roberto blocked by Alaba and a header from Raphinha blocked by Courtois. All this with an extra motivated Gavi appearing in attack, in defense and also when the referee stopped the game.
In one of the breaks due to a Barça foul in the midfield, Vinícius went to look for the ball that the Barça midfielder had in his hands. Both footballers faced each other. The fight ended with a Salamonic decision by Martínez Munuera with two yellow cards. One more proof that there was a lot at stake on the table.
In the last quarter of an hour of the first half, Real Madrid was able to string together long possessions, although they lacked depth in the last metres. The white goal, on the brink of half-time, came from a fleeting counterattack, one of Madrid’s best weapons ever.
And it was after Lewandowski brushed the goal in a shot that Courtois rejected. The ball went to Rodrygo. Marcos Alonso could not stop the Brazilian with a free kick, who set up Benzemá on the right. The Frenchman awaited the arrival of Vinícius who, from the penalty spot, clinched the ball that stumbled in after touching Koundé under the sticks.
Benzema hat-trick
Minute 46+ and tie tied. The areas decided the first time. The script of the last league classic was repeated, but this time the white team did not miss the opportunity to delve into the Barça wound five minutes after the restart.
Modric appeared, somewhat shy in the first half, got away from Sergi Roberto’s midfielder and enabled Benzema up front. The French forward took advantage of a slip from Koundé, settled the ball with his left foot to trace a tight and delicate shot to Ter Stegen’s right post. Accustomed to leaving a clean sheet in LaLiga -up to 20 times this season- he could do little to stop the white talent.
It seemed that Barca pride awoke after Benzema’s goal. Balde threatened with a shot that Courtois rejected, Raphinha warned and Araujo began an almost impossible adventure down the right wing that did not find a goal.
The local reaction turned out to be a mirage. Real Madrid liked the ball. Modric directed the engine room and Vini played on the right. And it was the white ’20’ who put the tie on track for his team. Kessié came out in the photo with an innocent stomp in the area and Benzema did not waste the gift to give a lunge that seemed almost definitive (0-3, min.58) from the penalty spot.
Xavi moved the bench giving entry to Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Éric García, but the Barcelona players, very hasty, sank. I don’t doubt Real Madrid to end their great night with a win that will be remembered.
Asensio and Benzema warned before the Frenchman’s third goal in another masterful transition. It was the icing on the cake for a round match for the white team, who will play a cup final nine seasons later. On May 6, Osasuna awaits him in the final of La Cartuja.
- Datasheet:
0 – Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Araujo, Koundé, Marcos Alonso (Eric García, min.66), Balde; Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Kessie (Ansu Fati, min.59), Gavi; Raphinha (Ferran Torres, min.66) and Lewandowski.
4 – Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alabama, Camavinga; Kroos, Modric, Fede Valverde (Tchouameni, min.85); Rodrygo (Marco Asensio, min.74), Vinicius (Ceballos, min.85) and Benzema (Nacho, min.88).
Goles: 0-1, min.46+: Vinícius. 0-2, min.50: Benzema. 0-3, min.58: Benzema, from the penalty spot. 0-4, min.81: Benzema.
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (Valencian College). He admonished Sergi Roberto (min.10), the coach Xavi Hernández (min.15), Gavi (min.26), Vinícius (min.26), Carvajal (min.71), Ferran (min.76), Alaba (min.86), Bucket (min.86) Militao (min.87), Ansu Fati (min.91).
Incidents: second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal played at the Spotify Camp Nou before 94,902 94,902 spectators. Before the game, the futsal team took to the pitch to offer the Copa del Rey won last weekend. Likewise, Àlex Roca, who recently became the first athlete with a 76% disability to complete a marathon, took the honor kick-off.
Victor Martí
