Real Madrid came from behind to defeat neighbourhood rival Atletico 3-1 on Thursday and advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior scored in extra time.
Due to the World Cup break, Real started slowly on a chilly night at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu, where Atletico had numerous threatening counterattacks.
The superb through pass from Atletico captain Koke to Nahuel Molina, who slipped past Real’s defense, allowed the former Real academy star Alvaro Morata to score in the 19th minute into an empty net.
After Toni Kroos provided a perfect cross in the 32nd minute, Eder Militao missed a wonderful opportunity to equalise.
Real didn’t begin to play better until late in the first half, when Dani Ceballos came off the bench to replace the injured Ferland Mendy.
The 26-year-old midfielder gave the group a fresh energy, and they came out of halftime much more aggressive.Two excellent chances were lost by Benzema, and Federico Valverde also missed a shot from just beyond the area.Rodrygo, a substitute, scored a beautiful goal to tie the score in the 79th minute after dribbling past three players.
Atletico played the majority of the extra period with 10 men as Real Madrid maintained complete control after defender Stefan Savic received his second caution for tripping over Eduardo Camavinga in the 99th minute.A low cross from Real replacement Marco Asensio was sent into the box five minutes later, when Vinicius’s effort was diverted to Benzema, who fired an unstoppable shot into the goal.
Vinicius scored a spectacular solo goal to give Real the victory in the waning seconds by sprinting halfway across the field and shooting low.
“We fell behind quickly, and the entire team had to be rebuilt after Mendy’s injury. But after the interval, we got up and performed extremely well,” Ceballos told TVE.
“They performed better in the first half, but once the coach made adjustments, we seized possession of the ball and scored. Then, things became simpler following the red card.”
In the semifinals, Real Madrid played alongside Barcelona, Osasuna, and Athletic Club.