A hard-fought victory sends Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1 in their Copa del Rey match on Thursday. Atletico failed to hold on to their first-half lead as Blancos pulled off yet another Cup comeback.
Rodrygo is the ULTIMATE super sub!
Both sides took a conservative approach to the game in the beginning. But Atletico were clearly willing to take more risks in the final third.
The Rojiblancos’ efforts paid off when Alvaro Morata put them ahead in the 19th minute.
A fantastic piece of buildup play saw Nauel Molina run past Real Madrid’s backline from the right-hand channel of the box. The Argentine international’s cutback then found Morata, who nodded the ball home to make it 1-0 for Atletico.
Real Madrid stayed tame for most of the first half, even after conceding the opener. But the Blancos increased their attacking pressure as soon as the second period started.
The Blancos’ efforts met fierce resistance from Atletico’s well-organized and compact backline. But Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to send in Rodrygo as Federico Valverde’s replacement changed the course of the game.
The Brazil international significantly increased the speed of Real Madrid’s attacks. He eventually scored his side’s equalizer with a wonderful solo effort in the 79th minute.
Real Madrid stayed in charge of the game at the beginning of the extra time. Stefan Savic’s careless tackle on Edouardo Camavinga convinced the referee to dismiss him with a second yellow card.
It didn’t take Real Madrid too long to break the resistance of their ten-man opponents. A cutback from Vinicius Junior found Karim Benzema, who made it 2-1 for Real Madrid from close range in the 104th minute.
Atletico pushed hard to get the equalizer in the second period of the extra time. But Diego Simeone’s men couldn’t find any serious chances inside their city rivals’ box.
Vinicius Junior then completed his brilliant performance by scoring Real Madrid’s third goal of the night in the last minute.
The 3-1 victory sends Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey semi-finals, where they could face Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, or Osasuna.
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