“He usually creates 6 or 7 chances by himself, but nothing today” – Xavi delighted with Barcelona for stopping Real Madrid star in 1-0 win

Barcelona coach Xavi was delighted with his team for limiting Vinicius Junior's impact in their 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals.

The Catalans drew first blood at the Santiago Bernabeu courtesy of an own goal from Eder Militao, leaving Los Blancos to pull off a comeback in the return fixture at Camp Nou next month.

Ferran Torres pounced on a poor back-pass from Eduardo Camavinga and fed an onrushing Franck Kessie, who drove inside the box and unleashed a shot, but it deflected off Militao and into the net.

Real Madrid looked to claw their way back into the game and had some chances but couldn't convert, with Vinicius in particular looking well below his best.

With 18 goals and nine assists in 37 games, the Brazilian has been a key player for the European champions once again this season.

However, his impact was negated completely by Xavi's side last night, and the Barca manager was proud of his team for keeping him at arm's length.

Speaking to the press after the game, he said (via Barca Universal):

“We can’t underestimate our work to stop Vinicius today. He usually creates 6 or 7 chances by himself, but nothing today.”

The 22-year-old winger failed to muster a single shot on target in the match and completed only 69% of his passes.

Real Madrid and Barcelona meet for the second-leg on April 5 but also clash in La Liga on 19 March, which will be held at Camp Nou.

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Barcelona could leave Real Madrid without a domestic title

Last month, Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup final and are now on course to drive them out of the Copa Del Rey too.

The Catalans also hold a healthy seven-point lead over the Spanish champions in La Liga, as they could leave their El Clasico rivals without a domestic trophy this season.

Carlo Ancelotti's team is left to make a comeback in both the competitions they are currently active in, and must hit their stride sooner rather than later to salvage their campaign.