January 04, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid secured their place in the Copa del Rey round of 16 with a 1-0 victory over fourth-tier team Cacereno via a sensational Rodrygo strike on Tuesday.
Despite making nine changes to the team, the Madrid side was still far superior in terms of quality to their opponents. Yet, Los Blancos struggled to find their rhythm and were unconvincing against the Segunda Federacion side.
To their credit, Cacereno did not let their more accomplished competitor run them over. They held their ground and had a few chances of their own, but it was not until the 69th minute that Real Madrid found the breakthrough.
Rodrygo jinked onto his right foot and arrowed a superb strike into the top-right corner to give Madrid the lead. Despite late pressure from Cacereno, Madrid held on to secure the victory and keep their hopes of winning the Copa del Rey alive.
On Saturday, in La Liga, Madrid will be on the road against Villarreal and, the following day, Montijo will play hosts to Cacereno in the Segunda Federacion.
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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.