Real Madrid secured their spot in the Copa del Rey final with a stunning 4-0 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou, with Karim Benzema scoring a hat-trick.
Vinicius Junior opened the scoring just before half-time, and Benzema added three more goals in the second half.
The win marks Madrid’s first appearance in the Copa final since 2014, where they will face Osasuna.
Despite trailing Barcelona by 12 points in LaLiga and suffering a defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, Madrid’s dominant performance in the Clasico ended a demoralizing run of three consecutive defeats against their arch-rivals.
Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto admitted that Vinicius’ goal just before half-time was a huge blow, but insisted that the defeat would not damage their title bid in the final weeks of the season.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his team’s complete performance, saying “when you play a complete game, you win 4-0 like that.”
Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’s coach, acknowledged Madrid’s superiority, saying “if you let Madrid off the hook, they don’t forgive you.”
Madrid have won the Copa del Rey 19 times, while Osasuna have never won it, securing passage to their second final after beating Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
