There are results that sting and Madrid was not satisfied with coming back from the tie and qualifying for the Cup final at the Camp Nou, but took advantage of the fact that Barcelona, decimated by structural casualties, their legs trembled in the second half to inflict a harsh corrective to his great rival, the one who is subjecting him all season in the League and in the Super Cup. The leader of the League endured the type 44 minutes and sank like a house of cards after receiving the 0-1. Madrid's fourth goal, the work of Benzema, a stiletto with a hat-trick, left the Camp Nou speechless, which began to empty the stands as a sign of surrender.
That silence of a public that has been standing by the team for months without fainting had had an extension on the field, where Xavi's team never gave the feeling of being able to lift the semifinal when they were put against it. Without that ability to react, with a touched and substitute midfield and without dominating or being successful in the areas, the final was an impossible mission for the blaugrana, who suddenly found it dark. The team short-circuited, broke down and stopped competing when that has been a great virtue of the year.
What was seen was a disastrous second half by Barça, who went to the canvas and did not get up, while Madrid put on their boots and even savored the possibility of an even wider score. The blaugrana were a toy in the hands of a more accomplished team and that also arrived injured and did not hesitate to put their finger on the sore.
Barcelona had the game under control until they went crazy in the last minute of the first half. Barça was able to score with Lewandowski but the one who took the lead on the scoreboard and equalized the tie was Madrid with the first lethal counterattack.
The Blaugrana number 9 finished off a good cross from Balde with his toe but Courtois's response was excellent. Gavi, the fastest and smartest, picked up the rebound but didn't know what to do and the whites galloped off with spaces for the first time all night. Rodrygo, Vinícius and Benzema were activated with 100 per hour. Marcos Alonso and Araújo were not successful in the cut and Koundé had to save Vinícius's shot on the line. The ball, crying, slipped into Ter Stegen's goal. And just in case, Benzema clinched it so there would be no doubts.
After doing everything well in the first half, the Barcelona fans went down on the scoreboard at half-time and with the Bernabéu's advantage neutralized by a single action. This is how exterminator Madrid is when it goes into a trance.
Until that moment, nothing presaged such an outcome. Because the plan of the four midfielders generated calm for Xavi and gave him a lot of influence on all his possessions. Perhaps Kessié and Sergi Roberto are not as imaginative or innovative as De Jong and Pedri but the Ivorian and the one from Reus were applied in each pass. While Ancelotti's offensive bet, with Rodrygo between the lines to threaten with Benzema and Vinícius, continued without finding cracks in the Blaugrana defense, the same one that left Madrid without even shooting between the sticks in the first leg. The rush of the visitors was cushioned by the consistency of the ecosystem led by Busquets and which hardly suffered at the start.
Only two players left the script with the ability to sting and enervate the rival, soccer and environmentally, and even the referee. For Barça, of course Gavi, who has been on the Madrid target for a long time. The Andalusian put in a center that Raphinha could not reach and also asked for a penalty by the hands of Alaba but above all the interior is one of those who does not give a ball for lost. On the white side, Vinícius, far from being able with Araújo, used all his tricks to look for Gavi's hot blood. The nerves heated up and when Barcelona seemed to have the duel asleep again, the crush of the 0-1 came.
If the locals knew how to play with the advantage, thinking about the three straight classics they had won, they made a mess with the tied tie, their legs trembled. Madrid smelled the fear of the blaugrana and did not think twice to go for the jugular and take advantage of the delicate moment. As soon as they started, Militão surrounded by Busquets and Gavi found Modric and he assisted Benzema, who from the front scored the second to give the madridistas a ticket to the final.
Barça's reaction was timid and always more individual than collective. Balde met Courtois's fists while Raphinha and Araújo stayed close. But it was finished when Vinícius took a child penalty from Kessié, who stepped on him when the Brazilian was already leaving the area. Benzema deceived Ter Stegen from eleven meters and from then on at the Camp Nou, who has been leading the team all season, he hovered over the idea of a very tough win. Rodrygo and Asensio were about to make the fourth, which Benzema finally got. With the Frenchman's hat-trick, the exodus in the stands was inexorable. No one could argue with the fairness of the score. The silence was only broken by the joy of Madrid.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Araujo, Koundé, Marcos Alonso (Eric Garcia 66), Balde, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Kessié (Ansu Fati 59), Gavi, Raphinha (Ferran Torres 66) and Lewandowski.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alba, Camavinga, Kroos, Modric, Fede Valverde (Tchouaméni 85), Rodrygo (Marco Asensio 74), Vinicius (Ceballos 85) and Benzema (Nacho 88).
Goles: 0-1 Vinícius (46 ), 0-2 Benzema (50), 0-3 Benzema (p) (58), 0-4 Benzema (81).
Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera (Valencian College). He warned Sergi Roberto (10), Xavi Hernandez (15), Gavi (26), Vinicius (26), Carvajal (71), Ferran (76), Alaba (86), Balde (86) and Militao (87). , Ansu Fati (91).
Incidents: second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal played at Spotify Camp Nou in front of 94,902 spectators.
