MY ACCOUNT
Carlo Ancelotti felt Real Madrid played the “perfect match” after a 4-0 thumping of Barcelona at Camp Nou secured their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 4-1 aggregate win.
Madrid faced a daunting task heading to the home of their Clasico rivals, who hold a 12-point lead over Ancelotti’s men at LaLiga’s summit, facing a one-goal deficit after Eder Militao’s own goal gave Barca a 1-0 first-leg victory at the Bernabeu.
But Vinicius Junior levelled the tie just before the break, before Karim Benzema fired in a second-half hat-trick to lead Madrid to a superb triumph and clinch their place in the final against Osasuna on May 6.
Ancelotti was delighted with his side’s second-leg heroics, telling reporters at his post-match news conference: “It was a complete game. When you win 4-0 here, it is in every way.
“We played a great game. The first goal changed the dynamics, we found more space in the transitions.
“[It was] a bit hard at first, but in the second half we did very well. We did not panic when they pressed and we knew how to take advantage of the spaces in transitions.
“We played the perfect match.”
This season, Benzema has failed to match the same vein of form that saw him win the Ballon d’Or in October, struggling with injuries and not enjoying the same scoring output.
But the striker has netted hat-tricks in back-to-back games since the international break, taking his goals tally for the season to 25 from 31 matches in all competitions.
Ancelotti believes the striker is somewhat back to his brilliant best, saying: “He has done a very good job in the [international] break, he has found optimum condition and his quality makes the difference, without a doubt.
“He has flicked the switch. He is still one of the best players in the world, without a doubt. If he’s fit, he’s one of the best.
“He can win another Ballon d’Or because he is one of the best forwards in the world.”
