MY ACCOUNT
Real Madrid reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2014 as a Karim Benzema hat-trick and a Vinicius Junior strike earned a 4-0 Clasico victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou and a 4-1 triumph on aggregate.
Eder Militao’s own goal at the Bernabeu had Barca heading into Wednesday’s second leg with a 1-0 advantage but Vinicius’ goal in first-half added time got Madrid back into the tie.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men then took over after the break, Benzema putting them ahead with a sublime finish before coolly converting from the spot after Vinicius was felled.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner clinched his hat-trick late on to dump the 31-time winners out and set Madrid up to meet Osasuna in the showpiece match on May 6.
Barca started brightly with Sergi Roberto and Raphinha seeing early efforts foiled, though alert defending was needed by Ronald Araujo at the other end to deny Vinicius.
Tempers were starting to fray in a typically high-charged encounter, Xavi booked for dissent before Gavi and Vinicius were cautioned for a fracas in midfield. The visitors remained focused, though, to level the tie just before half-time.
After Courtois made a superb stop to deny Robert Lewandowski, Madrid flew up the other end and though Jules Kounde initially blocked Vinicius’ shot, it crept over the line to make it 1-1 on aggregate.
Ancelotti’s side took the lead shortly after the break, Luka Modric teeing up Benzema to expertly stroke into the bottom-left corner.
Madrid then landed a killer blow shortly after, Franck Kessie bringing Vinicius down in the box for a penalty before Benzema stepped up and ruthlessly slotted into the bottom-right corner.
Benzema sealed his hat-trick with 10 minutes to play, delicately dinking over Marc-Andre ter Stegen to send his team cruising into the final.
What does it mean? Second-leg heroics send Madrid through
Barca may boast a healthy 12-point advantage over Madrid at the top of LaLiga but they wasted their strong performance at the Bernabeu with a hugely disappointing performance at home to let their lead slip.
Xavi’s men started the game well but Ancelotti’s side hit back to deservedly seal their progression, with Madrid accumulating 2.75 xG (expected goals) to Barca’s 0.88 while restricting the hosts to just three second-half shots on target.
Brilliant Benzema
Once again it was Benzema who stood up when his team absolutely needed him to, adding yet another brilliant performance to his already great legacy at Madrid.
Having played a huge part in Vinicius’ goal to level the aggregate score, the striker put the tie to bed with a magnificent treble in the second 45 minutes, scoring three times from 1.88 xG to put Barca to the sword.
Lewandowski fails to match opposite number
With Benzema once again leading his team to victory in the face of adversity, Barca’s number nine could not replicate the Madrid striker’s brilliant display in front of goal.
The Poland international hit the target with just one of his two shots while winning two of his 13 duels, kept unusually quiet by the visiting centre-backs.
What’s next?
Both teams are in LaLiga action next, with Madrid hosting Villarreal on Saturday before Barca take on Girona at Camp Nou on Monday.
