Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid again, 3-1, in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Thursday. The Madrid derby is historically one of the fiercest rivals in club football.
Thursday’s game did not disappoint. The match featured three brilliant goals, plus a red card.
The pre-match enthusiasm for the big game was dampened by an incident by some Atleti fans. The ultra-rightists hung a doll with Vinicius Junior’s shirt from a bridge near the Real’s training ground. Both clubs, together with LaLiga, condemned the racist act.
Morata marks the old team again
Atleti struck first in the game with a goal within the first 20 minutes. Koke flicked a perfect ball over the back line of the Real defense towards a rushing Nahuel Molina. The World Cup winner from Argentina then sent a through ball to Álvaro Morata for the easy finish. It was a beautifully crafted team goal for the visitors and their first goal on the road in the Madrid Derby since 2018.
The goal was Morata’s third goal in seven matches against his former club. He previously also scored against Real in both legs of a Champions League semi-final while playing for Juventus. Morata played 95 total games for the club during two separate spells.
Real’s injury problems got a bit worse when Ferland Mendy was forced off the field. Midfielder Dani Ceballos entered the fight for the defender, causing Eduardo Camavinga to switch to the left-back position. Carlo Ancelotti’s team no longer includes David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eden Hazard and Lucas Vázquez.
Rodrygo ties with a great goal in the Madrid derby of the Copa del Rey
The hosts turned up the pressure in the second half and finally found a breakthrough on 79 minutes. Substitute Rodrygo scored an incredible solo goal after a loitering run into the Atleti box to level the score.
With the match tied 1-1 at the whistle of regulation time, the match went into extra time. Atleti’s chances of advancing plummeted in the 99th minute. Center defender Stefan Savic received a red card for a simply silly challenge while he had a yellow card. There were two yellow cards in two minutes, leaving Atlético with a man less in the remaining 20 minutes.
Benzema, Vinicius put the pins on Atleti
Real Madrid’s star striker Karim Benzema put his team ahead just five minutes later. The French international hit a well-placed shot between Jan Oblak and the post after the ball fell inside the box. It was Benzema’s 13th goal this season.
Vinicius, the target of these racist attacks from a small contingent of Atlético supporters, took revenge by freezing the game. Another Brazilian who scored a brilliant solo goal for Real Madrid provided the third for Los Blancos. The wizard put together a labyrinthine run through the Atlético defense before calmly moving past Oblak.
The 19-time Copa del Rey winners will now face Osasuna, Athletic Club or Barcelona in the semifinals.
PHOTO: IMAGO/Lagencia
