Barcelona arrange a blockbuster Copa del Rey remaining towards archrival Real Madrid after edging Atletico Madrid 1-0 in a tense battle on the Metropolitano on Wednesday, sealing a 5-4 mixture triumph.
After an eight-goal thriller within the first leg, Ferran Torres delivered the decisive blow within the twenty seventh minute, latching onto Lamine Yamal’s cross earlier than drilling a low strike previous Juan Musso into the underside left nook. The victory sends Barcelona to Seville later this month, the place El Clasico glory awaits.
Atletico pushed for the equalizer within the second half, with substitute Alexander Sorloth lacking a sitter from shut vary, however Barca held on to safe a slim win.
“Winning here already tastes great, so you can imagine scoring the winner that books a ticket to a final,” Torres informed TVE.
“The match was a war, a final was at stake. We did everything we could, and it was in our hands to get the victory and that place in the final.”
After Real Madrid fought again to grab a rip-roaring 4-4 draw towards Real Sociedad on Tuesday for a 5-4 mixture win, Wednesday’s end result arrange a Clasico between Real and Barca within the Copa del Rey remaining, one thing that has not occurred in additional than a decade.
Real and Barca have met within the Copa del Rey remaining on 18 events, with Real main the rivalry with 11 wins, together with a 2-1 triumph within the 2014 remaining in Valencia.
Barcelona thrashed Real each instances they met this season – a 4-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga in October and a 5-2 victory within the Spanish Super Cup remaining in Saudi Arabia in January.
Both sides stay in rivalry for 3 trophies this season, as they’re by means of to the Champions League quarterfinals and locked in what appears to be a two-horse race for the La Liga title.
Barcelona lead La Liga with 66 factors, three forward of Real, with third-place Atletico six factors additional again with 9 video games left.
Real will journey to London to face Arsenal within the Champions League quarterfinals subsequent week, whereas Barca will host Borussia Dortmund. The rivals will meet within the Copa del Rey remaining on April 26 at La Cartuja Stadium.
Eliminated from the Champions League, Atletico’s season suffered one other huge blow with its cup exit, extending a winless run to 6 matches and pointing towards a fourth consecutive trophyless season for Diego Simeone’s facet.
“We just have to face reality as it is,” Atletico defender Jose María Gimenez informed TVE.
“We’re far-off from the highest in La Liga, however we’re going to strive till the tip, and we’ll see the place we stand to find out if the season is nice or not.
“We thank our fans from the bottom of our hearts and apologize for those moments when we were not up to the task. Together we are one, and we are stronger. That is how it should always be and hopefully always will be.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com