January 27, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid fought off a 10-man Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-final clash to win 3-1, thanks to extra time goals from Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.
Atleti had taken an early lead through Alvaro Morata before goals from Rodrygo in the final 10 minutes took the game to extra time, and then Benzema’s 104th-minute goal and Vinicius’ 121st-minute goal sealed the win.
The match was an intense midfield battle for the first 18 minutes, but Atletico Madrid found a way into the final third and into the lead, thanks to Morata. Poor defending from Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga in the left-back area allowed the ball reach the feet of Morata to score the opener.
Real Madrid began to push forward with much more conviction in the second half, with a Nacho Fernandez low, drilled cross into the box almost being bundled in by Karim Benzema. The French forward then forced Jan Oblak into a proper save shortly after. Fortunately, Rodrygo levelled the scores in the 79th minute to keep Real’s chances alive.
The hosts keep control of the game in extra time, rarely allowing Atleti any time on the ball outside of their own defensive third as Benzema and Vinicius took them to the final. Real joined Osasuna, Athletic Club and Barcelona in the semi-finals. They will face Real Sociedad in their next league game while Atletico will look to bounce back against Osasuna.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
