Real Madrid has reached the final of the Spanish Cup after a furious 4-0 (1-0) in the Clásico at FC Barcelona. In the second leg of the Copa del Rey, goalscorer Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick for Real (50 minutes, 58 minutes/penalty kick, 80 minutes) after Vinicius Junior (45+1) practically put the visitors ahead with the half-time whistle. Barcelona’s Germany international goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was powerless in all four goals conceded. The Catalans won the first leg of the semifinals 1-0 at Real Madrid.
Real will face league rivals CA Osasuna in the final on May 6 in Seville. A 1-1 after extra time at Athletic Bilbao was enough for the ninth-placed Primera División on Tuesday to advance to the final after a 1-0 win in the first leg.
Kroos in the starting eleven, Rüdiger on the bench
In the eagerly awaited Clásico, Real’s coach Carlo Ancelotti put 2014 world champion Toni Kroos in his starting eleven, while Antonio Rüdiger sat on the bench. But even without the German international, the guests’ defense at the Camp Nou was largely secure.
Only in injury time in the first half did the two arch-rivals come up with great opportunities. While Barca’s striker Robert Lewandowski’s attempt was thwarted by Real goalkeeper Courtois’ strong reflex, Vinicius Junior’s direct counterattack made it 1-0.
After the change, Real took advantage of his chances, especially Benzema. First, he unerringly put a low shot into the net after fine preparatory work by Luka Modric, shortly afterwards he safely converted a penalty kick inflicted on Vinicius Junior to make it 3-0.
The Catalans coached by club legend Xavi never recovered from this significant deficit. It was a heated duel until the end, but the hosts lacked offensive precision. The final point was set by Benzema after a counterattack, this time the template provider was called Vinicius Junior.