As the “Clasico” finale of the season approached, Barcelona held the chance to safe an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory towards Real Madrid in a single season.
But when it was throughout, it had endured considered one of its worst-ever house losses to its archrival.
With one other hat trick by Karim Benzema, Madrid overturned Barcelona’s benefit within the Copa del Rey semifinals with a powerful 4-0 win at Camp Nou Stadium to achieve the ultimate for the primary time in practically a decade.
Madrid hadn’t overwhelmed Barcelona by 4 targets at Camp Nou since a 5-1 win in 1963.
Vinicius Júnior additionally scored as Madrid superior 4-1 on mixture after having misplaced the primary leg 1-0 at house. Benzema additionally had a hat trick in Madrid’s 6-0 rout of Valladolid within the Spanish league on Sunday.
“It’s obvious that after Karim improved, the team improved as well,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “When he’s at his greatest, all the pieces is healthier for us. And (Luka) Modric and (Toni) Kroos additionally had nice video games. In these kinds of matches, expertise makes a distinction.”
Madrid will face Osasuna within the May 6 ultimate in Seville. Osasuna eradicated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on mixture after a 1-1 attract additional time on Tuesday in Bilbao, reaching the ultimate for the primary time since dropping the title match towards Real Betis in 2005.
Madrid hadn’t made it to the ultimate since 2014, when it beat Barcelona to win the final of its 19 Copa titles.
Barcelona, the match’s most profitable membership with 31 titles, was making an attempt to return to the ultimate for the primary time since profitable it in 2021 for its final triumph with Lionel Messi nonetheless within the squad.
With the win, Madrid averted dropping 4 straight matches to Barcelona in the identical season for the primary time. Madrid received 3-1 within the first “clasico” of the season within the Spanish league, however since then had misplaced 3-1 within the Spanish Super Cup ultimate, 1-0 within the first leg of the Copa semifinal and 2-1 within the different league match.
Barcelona coach Xavi was making an attempt to win 4 “clasicos” in the identical season and repeat a feat final achieved when Pep Guardiola received 5 in a row from 2008-10. Barcelona beat Madrid 4 instances in 1982-83, however not in consecutive matches.
“We deserved more in the first half, but in the second they were much better, there are no excuses,” Xavi said. “It’s a troublesome loss to take, one by a number of targets, however we’ve got to start out fascinated by the Spanish league immediately.”
The recreation was principally even early on however Madrid was in management after taking the lead simply earlier than halftime and will have ended up with an excellent greater win had it not squandered some late possibilities.
Vinicius opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with a shot from the center of the field after a a breakaway that additionally concerned Rodrygo and Benzema. The breakaway began after Barcelona squandered an opportunity on the different finish with Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saving a shot by Robert Lewandowski.
Benzema added to the lead within the fiftieth with a low shot from simply inside the realm after a cross by Luka Modric, then received his second by changing a penalty within the 58th after Vinicius was fouled by Franck Kessie. His third got here in a three-on-two state of affairs following a breakaway within the 81st.
“It was a beautiful result, very satisfying,” Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde said. “It was vital to win it doesn’t matter what, however we performed an awesome match, particularly within the second half.”
Madrid trails Barcelona by 12 factors within the league however can nonetheless win the Champions League along with the Copa del Rey. It already received the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA’s Club World Cup this season. It faces Chelsea within the Champions League quarterfinals.
Barcelona received the Spanish Super Cup this season for its first trophy since Messi departed to affix Paris Saint-Germain amid the membership’s monetary disaster.
The recreation at Camp Nou received heated at instances with Vinicius and some Barcelona gamers moving into minor altercations. The match needed to be interrupted a couple of instances as followers threw objects on the sector.
In the tenth minute, followers chanted Messi’s title as the previous Barcelona star goes via a troublesome second with PSG.
Xavi was with out 4 gamers due to accidents – Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen. Ancelotti had all of his common starters out there except injured left again Ferland Mendy.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
