Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in the second half led Real Madrid to a 4-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as Carlo Ancelotti’s team overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Copa del Rey final.
Barça would have been confident heading into the game after winning three straight Clásicos, but Vincius Jr. tied the game in first-half stoppage time.
The second half became Benzema’s show, with the defending Balon d’Or winner scoring three goals in 30 minutes to secure a famous win in Barcelona’s own backyard.
t was the first time since Ferenc Puskás in 1963 that a Real Madrid player had scored a hat-trick at the Camp Nou and Ancelotti hailed the performance as “a complete match” from his players.
“You can’t win 0-4 here if you don’t make it complete,” Ancelotti told Reuters. “We had difficulties in the first half, but the first goal changes the dynamics of the entire match.”
“It’s a game in which personality and expertise are crucial. We combined Rodrygo, [Federico] Valverde, and [Eduardo] Camavinga’s energy with Vini, [Luka] Modric, and [Toni] Kroos’ expertise. They played a fantastic contest.”
“Congratulations to Real Madrid, who had a great second half,” he said. “If you show Madrid mercy, they don’t show you mercy.
“It will be hard to sleep, as I am from Barcelona and many of the squad are. But tomorrow, we think about Girona.”
Standing in Real Madrid’s way of clinching a 20th Spanish Cup is Osasuna, which edged past Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on aggregate to reach the final for just the second time in the club’s history.