Los Blancos secured their spot in the final with a resounding 4-0 win at Camp Nou, as the Ballon d'Or winner scored his second hat-trick of the week
Real Madrid love these nights. The Spanish giants were behind on aggregate to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final, facing Europe's best defensive side in a stadium where they had only conceded twice domestically all season.
Yet Carlo Ancelotti's side put four past their arch-rivals without really breaking a sweat. It was another entry for Ancelotti's fine collection of comebacks, with Madrid running out 4-1 aggregate winners to book a spot in the Copa del Rey final.
It took a blustery 60 seconds for the tie to be levelled — and 15 minutes for it to be turned on its head.
At the end of the first half, Robert Lewandowski was denied at one end by Thibaut Courtois and Madrid broke swiftly. The sweeping move was started and finished by Vinicius Jr, with a lovely Karim Benzema cut-back in between to lock the tie at 1-1 right before half-time.
Then came the Ancelotti magic. Benzema was at the centre of it all, bagging a hat-trick for a second game in a row and battering a stunned Barcelona defence.
He got Madrid going after the break, sweeping the ball into the far corner after a dart and pass from Luka Modric. He was ruthless thereafter, scoring from the spot for Madrid's third after Franck Kessie tripped Vinicius in the box, and adding the fourth with a delightful dink from an incisive Vinicius run.
There is indeed a trophy up for grabs here, and Madrid will fancy themselves in the final against Osasuna. But perhaps more importantly, they seem to be recapturing their magic ahead of a massive Champions League meeting with Chelsea next week.
GOALbreaks down the winners and losers from Camp Nou…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Karim Benzema
Over these past couple of seasons, Karim Benzema has pretty much done it all, culminating in a richly deserved Ballon d'Or triumph. However, there was one thing missing from his stellar CV: a Clasico hat-trick. Well, the wait is over, with the France forward netting a treble in his 43rd outing against Barcelona.
Oh, and he also set up Vinicius' vital opener with a wonderfully disguised and executed cut-back for his Brazilian team-mate.
Benzema truly is one of the game's great No.9s, the kind of forward who can do it all. And best of all, he's showing no signs of slowing up. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi long gone, the Clasico has a new king.
AdvertisementLOSER: Franck Kessie
Kessie was probably the most impressive Barcelona midfielder for the first half, but had a nightmare of a second. He was overrun by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, and gave away a foolish penalty to hand Madrid their third on the night.
Vinicius was going nowhere when Kessie dangled a leg. The Brazilian admittedly made the most of it, but Kessie offered the chance for Vinicius to go over – a true lapse of judgment from an experienced player who should know better.
He was sacrificed after an hour for Ansu Fati, and was deservedly the first Barcelona midfielder to be removed from proceedings. Kessie is not the only Barcelona player at fault here, but his braindead moment allowed Madrid to pull away.
GettyWINNER: Carlo Ancelotti
Ancelotti joked with Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate back in February that the pair would meet again in the Copa del Rey final, and somehow he was right!
Madrid fans feared the worst when they saw the line-up: Eduardo Camavinga at left-back; Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield without the legs of Aurelien Tchouameni behind them.
But Ancelotti's bold selection was fully vindicated. Camavinga was one of the best players on the pitch, Kroos controlled the game in the second half, while Modric provided the assist for Benzema's crucial second goal. Ancelotti may well move on this summer but, right now, he remains 'The Boss'.
GettyLOSER: Raphinha
Raphinha was far too predictable on Wednesday. The Brazilian insisted on trying to cut sharply onto his left foot every time he received a pass. And his opposite number, Camavinga, who is by no means a natural left-back, did not have any difficulty in stopping him.
Raphinha lost the ball relentlessly, killing Barcelona attacks before they had even started to mark a truly forgettable showing from a player who has struggled for consistency. He needed to have a big game here, especially with Barcelona lacking some of their big names in midfield. Instead, Raphinha was unreliable and lacking in quality.
This wasn't necessarily a failure of attacking football — some of Barcelona's defending was truly terrible — but Raphinha is not the attacking game-changer that Barcelona thought they were getting last summer.