A crushing home defeat against Real Madrid ended Barca’s dreams of reaching the competition’s final.
Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie in the Copa del Rey. An incredible attacking display from the visitors was enough for them to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat in the first leg.
Benzema is on FIRE 🔥
Karim Benzema came into the game on the back of his fantastic display against Valladolid on Sunday. The Frenchman scored a hat-trick for the Blancos as they crushed the 16th-placed side on home soil.
The game against Barcelona, however, started on a different note. Both sides stayed cautious with their attacks in the first half.
Real Madrid were expectedly more eager to push forward for goals. But Barca managed to hold them at bay until just before the break.
A swift counter-attack from the visitors saw Benzema complete a one-two with Vinicius Junior inside Barca’s box. The Brazilian forward then smashed the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make it 1-0 for the Blancos.
Real Madrid used their momentum to find a solid start to the second half. Their pressure on Barca’s backline paid off when Benzema doubled his side’s lead with a precise low shot from the edge of the box.
The pace of the game increased significantly after Benzema’s goal as both sides pushed for goals. Barca made a serious chance to get back into the game but Thibaut Courtois’s save prevented Alejandro Balde from finding the back of the net.
Real Madrid secured their victory when Franck Kessie’s foul on Vinicius convinced the referee to award the visitors a penalty. Benzema converted the spot-kick with a cool shot to make it 3-1 on aggregate for the Blancos.
Barca kept pushing for goals after conceding the third goal, but their defensive structure collapsed under Real Madrid’s well-organized attacks.
Benzema then put the icing on the cake for the visitors by completing his hat trick.
A quick run from Vinicius saw him find his French teammate deep behind Barca’s line. Benzema then converted the one-on-one situation against Ter Stegen with a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Real Madrid will face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on May 6.
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