Asensio volleys goal, Real puts one foot in King's Cup semi-finals

Leganes 0-1 Real Madrid

Goal: Asensio 89'

Playing away from home against a team currently ranked 13th in La Liga, Real Madrid put their faith in a largely young squad. Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal were the only two members of the first-team squad to start.

Thanks to the youth of the players, Real put pressure on Leganes' goal in the first half. Mateo Kovacic almost opened the scoring in the 34th minute when he curled the ball wide of the post. Marco Asensio also caused a stir when he crossed the 5m50 area.

Playing with more confidence from the start of the second half, Leganes created many dangerous situations towards Real's goal. In the 67th minute, the home team had a free kick into the penalty area that almost caused Marcos Llorente to head the ball into his own net: the ball hit the crossbar while goalkeeper Kiko Casilla misjudged the direction of the catch.

The introduction of Modric and Isco in the second half did not help Real much. The visitors had to wait until the 89th minute for the decisive goal from a brilliant Asensio. The player wearing the number 20 shirt quickly volleyed a cross from the left wing, sending the ball flying like an arrow into the near corner, defeating goalkeeper Champagne.

A win away from home in the first leg is a huge advantage for Real. As long as they don't lose in the return leg at the Bernabeu next week, the Madrid team will be in the semi-finals of the King's Cup.