Real Madrid beat Barcelona – 3:1
Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of Lionel Messi on Tuesday, scoring twice to lead Real Madrid to a 3:1 win at Barcelona and a spot in the Copa del Rey final.
After salvaging a 1:1 draw in the first leg, Madrid neutralized Barcelona’s passing game and counterattacked to perfection at the Camp Nou to hand its archrival its first home loss in any competition since last April.
“We played a great game” – Ronaldo said. “We faced the game with a serious attitude, played better and scored three goals, which is tough to do.”
It was also a second straight cup setback for the Catalan club, which is running away with the Spanish league but lost 2:0 at AC Milan in the first leg of its Champions League last-16 matchup.
Real Madrid - Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his fine goal scoring record at the Nou Camp with a brace as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3:1 to go through to the final of the King’s Cup 4:2 on aggregate.
The Portuguese hit a first half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks.
Raphael Varane headed the third after 68 minutes while Jordi Alba got a late consolation.
Real Madrid will now take on the winners of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who play on Wednesday, the capital side enjoying a 2:1 lead from their first leg.
Ronaldo has now scored in his last six visits to the Catalan capital and came out on top in his personal battle with Lionel Messi, who was largely anonymous in the game.
The Argentine, however, has the chance to respond when the pair meet again in the league at the weekend.
This was the vital game though for Real who trail leaders Barcelona by 16 points in La Liga after a poor campaign and it is their best chance of picking up some silverware outside of the Champions League, in which they are evenly poised against Manchester United after a 1:1 first leg draw at the Bernabeu.
“We knew how to play Barcelona and tactically we came out on top” – said Real ‘keeper Iker Casillas. “We were well positioned on the pitch and in all areas we were in control.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Aj7f-UM2A
As the injured Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas said ominously afterwards: “This gives us more hope and confidence for the rest of the season – hopefully it can prove a turning point. We never really suffered tonight.”
When it comes to head to head matches against Barca, Mourinho’s Madrid have become the better side – the past six meetings have seen Madrid effectively clinch the league, win the Spanish Super Cup and now claim a place in the Copa del Rey final, as well as drawing 2:2 here in October. Ronaldo too has become more dominant than Leo Messi.
Trailing by 16 points, the league is Barcelona’s but that did not feel like it mattered much here – this was humiliating for the home side, worrying too. The sheer speed of Mourinho’s team was breathtaking. A place in the final brings with it confidence that they can win at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Barcelona, by contrast, know that on this form they have no chance against Milan. They were impotent again.
Madrid got the goal that changed the complexion of this tie before the quarter-hour mark and it was a portrait of the two sides. At times it appears to take little to score against Barcelona. The worrying thing from the perspective of Sir Alex Ferguson, here to watch the game, was how swiftly and unexpectedly Madrid can plunge the dagger into your heart.
At one end, Messi was bundled over by Angel Di Maria but as some Barca players appealed for a penalty, they wasted the free-kick. Suddenly, at the other end they were exposed. Ronaldo was running at Gerard Pique; one step-over, two, and the defender was drawn in to a foul. This time there was no doubt and Ronaldo coolly rolled in the penalty, making this the sixth consecutive trip to the Camp Nou in which he had scored.
On the touchline, David Villa had been warming up as the fans chanted his name and now he came on but it was too late, Varane powering home a header just as he had done in the first leg. When Alba scored it simply did not matter.