Ronaldo shines, Real dethrones Barca.

Cristiano Ronaldo's brace and Raphael Varane's goal helped Real Madrid thrash Barcelona 3-1 at Camp Nou, securing their place in the Copa del Rey final with an aggregate score of 4-2 over two legs.

This victory is a well-deserved reward for Jose Mourinho and his team, as they employed a highly effective strategy and capitalized on the opportunities they had.

As for Barcelona, ​​after their 0-2 defeat against Milan and facing the risk of being eliminated from the Champions League, they suffered another bitter blow by being dethroned as Copa del Rey champions. This was an outcome that few could have predicted, given that Barca was considered the best team on the planet at the time.

After the first leg at Bernabeu, the Catalan team has a slight advantage having secured a 1-1 draw, meaning they only need a goalless draw to qualify for the final.

However, this match is unlikely to end goalless, especially since Real Madrid sees the Copa del Rey as their most realistic chance to avoid a disastrous season after having already given up in La Liga (16 points behind Barca), and their Champions League hopes are slim after a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at home.

Entering the 225th El Clásico in history, Barcelona continued to use their familiar 4-3-3 formation with names like Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, and Andres Iniesta. Meanwhile, the midfield still featured Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, and Cesc Fabregas.

On the Real Madrid side, coach Jose Mourinho decided to start Gonzalo Higuain as the central striker. Kaka, despite his impressive form, remained on the bench. The central defensive pairing remained Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos.

Immediately after the referee's whistle, Barcelona took the initiative and played an attacking game. Pedro, Messi, and then captain Puyol repeatedly unleashed shots towards Lopez's goal, but without success. Notably, Puyol missed a header after Xavi's free kick from the right wing, a truly regrettable moment.

After being under pressure in the early stages, Real gradually regained control of the game. In the 10th minute, Ramos created a well-executed attacking opportunity, but his final pass to Higuain went too deep.

However, Real Madrid didn't have to regret it for too long, because just three minutes later they were awarded a penalty after Pique fouled Ronaldo in the penalty area. The Portuguese star successfully converted the penalty, giving Real a 1-0 lead.

This also marks the sixth consecutive time Ronaldo has scored against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Real currently holds a 2-1 advantage over the two legs of this year's Copa del Rey semi-final.

After Ronaldo's early opening goal, the match became much more exciting. In the 15th minute, Fabregas fell inside Real's penalty area, but the referee did not point to the penalty spot.

Subsequently, both Messi and Ronaldo had opportunities, but no further goals were scored.

Barcelona are currently in a fairly good position, with their ball possession time increasing significantly. However, their defense remains the biggest concern for the home team.

In the 29th minute, Higuain broke through and shot past Pinto, but fortunately for Barcelona, ​​the Argentinian striker was offside.

In the 31st minute, Barca had a well-executed combination down the left flank, but Lionel Messi missed the shot after receiving a good pass from his teammate.

In the 34th minute, Pedro fell in the penalty area, but the referee ruled that Xabi Alonso had not committed a foul. Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco's decisions are drawing strong protests from the Barcelona players.

In the 36th minute, Messi made a quick attacking move, but his final pass to a teammate was too weak and easily cleared by a Real Madrid defender.

In the 37th minute, Messi was fouled by Arbeloa just outside the penalty area. The referee decided to issue a yellow card to the defender and award Barcelona a free kick.

Messi took the free kick, but the ball unfortunately went wide of the post after beating Real Madrid's defensive wall.

The final minutes of the first half continued to be exciting, but no further goals were scored. The 1-0 lead for Real Madrid remained unchanged. If they hold onto this result, Jose Mourinho's team will advance to the final.

Entering the second half, both teams continued to employ an attacking style of play. Despite leading, Real Madrid still played high up the pitch in search of a second goal.

Outside the pitch, David Villa is also warming up and it's very likely he'll be brought on in the coming minutes. Meanwhile, interim manager Jordi Roura is praying to God.

In the 50th minute, Real had a dangerous opportunity, but Coentrao's final shot was too easy for goalkeeper Pinto.

In the 52nd minute, Barcelona created a dangerous situation in front of Real Madrid's goal, culminating in a shot from Busquets, but goalkeeper Lopez made an excellent save, conceding a corner.

In the 57th minute, following a quick counter-attack after a Real Madrid player cleared the ball, Di Maria received the ball, beat Puyol, and took a shot, but couldn't beat Pinto.

However, the ball went straight to Ronaldo, who skillfully controlled it with his chest and unleashed a left-footed shot to make it 2-0. The aggregate score over two legs is now 3-1 in favor of Real.

Witnessing what was happening, coach Roura decided to bring David Villa onto the field to replace Cesc Fabregas.

In the 63rd minute, Pedro fell again in the penalty area, but just like before, referee Mallenco allowed the game to continue.

Having conceded two goals, Barcelona were forced to play more offensively in search of a goal. This would undoubtedly be a great opportunity for Real to exploit an already fragile defense that would now be even easier to breach.

In the 68th minute, from a corner kick, center-back Raphael Varane rose high to head the ball into the net against Barcelona. In the first leg, this same French defender had scored the goal that gave Real Madrid hope. A 3-0 lead was more than enough to secure Real Madrid's place in the final.

After Varane's goal, the game slowed down considerably. Although Barcelona continued to attack, they remained unable to find a way to score against Real Madrid.

In the 78th minute, Pepe was brought on to replace Mesut Oezil. This substitution showed that Real would now focus more on defense than attack. Simply put, they had already secured their place in the final because scoring four goals against Barca was impossible.

In the 83rd minute, Ronaldo unleashed a powerful shot, but it didn't trouble Pinto. However, he didn't seem upset because Real were already leading by three goals.

In the 85th minute, Pepe made his mark on the pitch with a collision with a Barcelona player, but luckily no fight broke out after the incident.

After tireless efforts, Barcelona finally scored a consolation goal, reducing the deficit to 1-3 thanks to Jordi Alba.

Thus, with a 3-1 victory (4-2 on aggregate), Real Madrid has officially secured their place in the Copa del Rey final. Their opponent will be either their city rivals Atletico or Sevilla.

Starting lineup:

Barca:Barca: Victor Valdes - Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Jordi Alba -Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas - Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta.

Real:Diego Lopez - Alvaro Arbeloa, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao - Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso - Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo - Gonzalo Higuain.

Goals: Ronaldo (13 pen, 57), Varane (68) - Alba (89)./.

According to (Vietnam+) - DT