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Real Madrid stormed into the
Copa Del Rey final
in the most
stunning manner
possible, with an
emphatic 3-1 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou in the
second leg of their last-four clash on Tuesday. With a 1-1 home draw to
overcome from the first leg, Jose
Mourinho looked on in jubilation as
his team executed their gameplan
to perfection, frustrating the
Catalans at the back, and through an inspirational Cristiano
Ronaldo[/], giving a
counterattacking clinic up front. The Portuguese opened the
scoring from the penalty spot 12
minutes in, becoming the first
player to score in six successive
Clasicos away from home, and
finished off a surging break shortly before the hour mark to
put Madrid in the driving seat. Raphael Varane put the finishing
touches on an unbelievable night
for the visitors when he headed
home a corner, with Jordi Alba's
late goal coming as little
consolation for the hosts, as los Blancos now await either Sevilla
or Atletico Madrid in the
showpiece event on May 18.
Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas
and Xavi returned to start in
midfield for the hosts, with Carles Puyol partnering Gerard Pique in
defence. For Madrid, Varane, the
standout performer from the
first leg, started alongside Sergio
Ramos at centre back. Barca started positively, and with
only two minutes on the clock,
were nearly ahead. Pedro did
brilliantly to turn Fabio Coentrao
inside out and square for Lionel
Messi, who narrowly missed the target from a tight angle. But instead, it would be Madrid
who would take the lead. Ronaldo was simply too quick for Pique, and was tripped up inside
the area, leaving the referee
with no choice but to award a
penalty, from which the
Portuguese forward slotted coolly
into the bottom corner. The Catalans exhibited their
customary dominance of the ball,
but Mourinho's men were ready
with discipline and numbers at the
back, and a pacey threat on the
counter whenever they won the ball. Referee Alberto Undiano, already
the villain of the piece in the eyes
of the Camp Nou faithful for the
decision against Pique, was
showered with further venom
from the stands after correctly denying penalty appeals for
Fabregas and Pedro. And the home fans were left
frustrated again moments before
half time, when Messi drilled a
free kick agonizingly into the side
netting, with half of the stadium
already celebrating a goal. The Blaugrana went close again
minutes after the restart when
Diego Lopez parried an effort by
Busquets, with Alvaro Arbeloa
taking the rebound off the toes
of Fabregas from point blank range. But much like the start of the
first half, the chance was
spurned, and again, Madrid would
punish their profligacy on the
counterattack, this time putting
the tie virtually out of reach. Sami Khedira's sublime first-time
pass after winning the ball
released Angel Di Maria against
Puyol. The Barca captain was left
on his backside by the skill of the
winger, whose initial shot was parried by Jose Pinto, only for Ronaldo to bury the rebound. And with 22 minutes left, Madrid
were in dreamland again, when Varane rose highest to head home Mesut Ozil's corner in
almost identical fashion to his goal
in the first leg. Flares were set off in the stands
as a few home fans lost patience
with events on the ptich, but
their mood improved ever so
slightly just before injury time
whenAlba ghosted in behind the fullback to slot Andres Iniesta's
clipped pass beyond Lopez. But the damage was long done by
the irrepressible visitors, who will
now contest the final in three
months. The Clasico drama is not
quite done, however, as both
sides will lock horns at Santiago Bernabeu in la Liga on Saturday.