Real Madrid more than made up for the first leg of their 1-0 home loss in the Spanish Cup semi-final to beat Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg at the Camp Nou. Osasuna Pamplona will play for the trophy. Robert Lewandowski played the entire match for the “Pride of Catalonia”.
For most of the first half, Barcelona dominated, but just before the end of the first half, they did not take advantage of a convenient goal situation, and the “Royals” launched an effective counter. The action was finished by Brazilian Vinicius Junior.
The goal was a motivator for the visitors, who took the initiative as coach Xavi Hernandez’s men started making simple mistakes. As a result, already in the first quarter of the second half, the Frenchman Karim Benzema scored twice (50th and 58th from the penalty spot), and in the end he completed a hat-trick (81st).
“More than a cold shower,” she commented just after the final whistle of “Marca”, referring to Barcelona’s slogan that it is “more than a club”, and another sports daily “As” assessed: “Real with a dance step to the final”.
Benzema appeared in “El Clasico” for the 43rd time in his career, counting all competitions. He scored three goals in one game for the first time.
The “Royals” have lifted the Copa del Rey 19 times (in 39 finals so far) and are in third place in the all-time classification in this respect. Higher are Barcelona – 31 and Athletic Bilbao – 23.
On Tuesday, Osasuna Pamplona won the promotion to the final – for the second time in history. After a 1-0 home win in the second leg, they drew Athletic Bilbao 1-1 after extra time. Osasuna previously played in the 2005 Copa del Rey final when they lost to Betis Sevilla 2-1 after extra time.
The final of the ongoing edition will be played on May 6 in Seville. (PAP)
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