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Eder Militao's own goal condemned Real Madrid to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Barcelona on Thursday night (2 March).
Having been overwhelmingly outplayed when they lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in January, Real Madrid tried to make a positive start at the Santiago Bernabeu. They pressed high up the pitch in the opening exchanges on Thursday, winning possession in threatening areas.
In the seventh minute, in-form left-winger Vinicius Junior cut in from the left, leaving Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong in his wake. The Brazilian went for goal with a speculative effort, which zipped wide of the near post.
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Five minutes after Vinicius Junior rained down on Barcelona, Real Madrid had the ball in the back of the net, courtesy of Karim Benzema. The Frenchman did ever so well to bring down Vinicius Junior’s cross and find the bottom-left corner with an impressive volley. However, replays clearly showed that the 35-year-old was well offside.
In the 26th minute, Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie latched on to Ferran Torres’ reverse pass and went for goal. Thibaut Courtois saved his initial shot, but the ball hit Militao and crossed the goal line.
Militao's own goal, which came against the run of play, took the wind out of Madrid’s sails. They lost their cool, committing cheap fouls and arguing with the referee every chance they got. Four minutes from half-time, Toni Kroos tried to change Madrid’s situation with a brilliant cross into Barca’s box. Daniel Carvajal received it only 10 yards from goal but ended up skying his volley.
Four minutes into the second 45, Federico Valverde dashed down the right flank and cut the ball back for Vinicius Junior, who was lurking around the box. The winger dispatched a curler, aiming to find the far corner, but Araujo put in an excellent block to send the ball behind for a corner.
In the 72nd minute, Ansu Fati lent Los Blancos a helping hand, unintentionally blocking Kessie’s side-footed shot, which looked destined to find the bottom-left corner. Madrid was lucky not to go two goals down.
Real Madrid’s last notable effort of the night came in the 89th minute, with substitute Rodrygo’s 25-yard shot zipping wide of the top-right corner of Barcelona’s goal.
Madrid ended the match with a whopping 13 shots with none of them landing on target. Barcelona, on the other hand, recorded two shots on target with their four attempts.
Here are five Real Madrid players who underperformed in their Copa del Rey defeat to Barca on Thursday:
#5 Vinicius Junior
Los Blancos jet-heeled winger Vinicius Junior scored two spectacular goals in last week’s massive 5-2 win over Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16. He was too hot to handle for Trent Alexander-Arnold, with him slipping past the Englishman with ease.
Barca defender Araujo seemed unfazed by Vinicius Junior's red-hot form and defended against him with all the confidence in the world. He tracked his runs, body-checked him when needed, and closed down passing lanes. Limited by Araujo, Vinicius Junior ended the night with only two shots.
He also lost possession 23 times, lost seven duels, and misplaced four of six crosses. Vinicius also had a nasty tussle with De Jong in the 24th minute, for which he was deservedly booked.
#4 Nacho Fernandez
In the absence of David Alaba and Ferland Mendy, Nacho Fernandez operated as Madrid’s make-shift left-back. The result was not pretty. He rarely made inroads into the final third, thus failing to support Vinicius Junior. He lost duels, committed cheap fouls, and looked unsure while defending as well.
On Thursday, Nacho lost seven of 10 ground duels, lost possession eight times, committed three fouls, and misplaced two crosses and an attempted long ball.
#3 Eduardo Camavinga
Militao may carry the burden of scoring an own goal, but Eduardo Camavinga must take the blame for giving Barcelona room to hurt Madrid in the first place. It was his lack of awareness in midfield that allowed Barcelona to intercept the ball and eventually send Kessie through on goal.
The French midfielder also lost possession 10 times, failed to create any goalscoring opportunities, and lost five ground duels. Camavinga was also dribbled past twice and committed two fouls.
#2 Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal was once regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world. Thursday’s performance once again proved that the Spaniard’s glory days are behind him. He failed to keep pace with Gavi, misplaced crosses, and squandered the best goalscoring opportunity of the night in the 41st minute, sending Kroos’ cross into the stands.
Against Barcelona, Carvajal was dribbled past thrice, lost possession 24 times, and none of his seven crosses reached their intended targets.
#1 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid skipper Karim Benzema found the back of the net in the 12th minute, but the goal was rightfully ruled out for offside. Surprisingly, that was Benzema’s highlight of the night.
Barca did a number on the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, keeping him from combining with Vinicius Junior and getting his shots away. Benzema dispatched only one shot on Thursday, which was easily blocked by the Barca defense.
In the 2022-23 Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, Benzema failed to play any key passes, lost five of 10 duels, and lost possession 12 times.
