Real win battle of Madrid to close on Copa del Rey final

Andy West 09:35 06/02/2014
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  • White riot: Pepe is mobbed after his early shot beat Courtois via a deflection.

    REAL MADRID 3

    E. Insua (o.g) 17’, J. Rodriguez 53’, Miranda (o.g) 73’

    ATLETICO MADRID 0

    Real Madrid put one foot in the Copa del Rey final with a victory over near neighbours Atletico, benefitting from two heavily deflected goals in a scrappy and ill-tempered encounter.

    Pepe’s shot deflected off Emiliano Insua to get the hosts up and running, with Jese Rodriguez adding the second before Angel Di Maria’s strike hit Miranda and flew in, leaving outplayed Atletico with a huge task in next week’s second leg.

    Atletico created the first genuine opportunity, with skipper Gabi floating a right-wing cross into the path of Arda Turan, whose skidding header was comfortably saved by Iker Casillas. And that was an isolated attacking thrust from the away side, with Real regularly getting into dangerous positions around the edge of the penalty area.

    Their pressure soon paid off, but the goal owed a lot to fortune as Pepe broke forward and tried his luck with a long-range shot which was heading wide until it struck Insua and wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois to fly into the back of the net.

    With their noses in front, the hosts continued to dominate the remainder of the first half, although the action was frequently punctuated by niggling fouls, with aggressive Atletico striker Diego Costa inevitably at the fore.

    The relatively rare moments of goalmouth action were being provided by Real, with another deflected shot – this time from Di Maria – causing danger as it flew over the bar.

    And Atletico had a narrow escape when the excellent Luka Modric found the lively Jese, whose fierce right-footed shot was palmed away by Courtois but came back to the Croatian midfielder who struck a fierce volley which flew fortuitously for the visitors straight at their goalkeeper.

    Atletico made a much more positive start to the second period, with Diego Godin heading narrowly over the bar from a corner, before Cristiano Ronaldo cut inside threateningly from the left but sent his shot too close to Courtois.

    The hosts soon doubled their advantage with a beautifully worked goal as Di Maria picked out a diagonal run by Jese with a perfectly weighted and well-disguised pass, allowing the young forward to stab a shot past the onrushing Courtois.

    Di Maria soon tested Courtois with a fierce long-range effort, and the reckless Costa then made his team’s evening worse by needlessly getting himself booked for kicking out at Di Maria, ensuring he will miss next week’s second leg through suspension.

    As the scrappy fouls and frequent stoppages continued, Atletico nearly grabbed one back when Godin met a corner with a fierce downward header towards the bottom corner only for Modric to stretch and clear off the line.

    Within two minutes, Real added their third courtesy of another huge deflection as Di Maria pounced on a loose ball to shoot from 25 yards, and the ball cannoned off Miranda to again leave Courtois stranded.

    Ronaldo produced a full-length save from Courtois with a longrange strike and disappointing Atletico had no answer, leaving the tie effectively already decided.

    MAN OF THE MATCH – Jese

    On a quiet night for Cristiano Ronaldo, Real’s rising star rose to the fore with a spirited and skilful performance, capped by his team’s crucial second goal. A permanent place in the starting line-up cannot be too far away for the talented young forward.

    MATCH VERDICT

    Real were flattered by the margin of the victory and fortunate to score two deflected goals, but they were vastly superior on the night and deserve credit for standing up to their opponents’ physical challenge whilst remembering to also play constructive football – something Atletico notably failed to do. With Diego Costa suspended for the second leg, it’s a contest that’s virtually over.

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