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Half-time reading
Half time: Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (agg: 1-1)
Well that livened things up. Until then, the game had been fractious and uneventful. With the aggregate score now level, the second half should be a whole lot livelier.
Was it Vinicius or Benzema? 🤔
Real Madrid won't care who! Los Blancos go into the break 1-0 up at the Spotify Camp Nou!! ⚪️🟣 pic.twitter.com/NGj3lTznBS
Courtois made a very smart reaction save, low to his right, to keep out a snap volley from Lewandowski. Madrid broke devastatingly, with Vinicius Jr playing a one-two with Benzema before flicking the ball nonchalantly past ter Stegen. Kounde made a partial stop, but the ball was trickling over the line when Benzema made sure. I think it’s his goal, though Vinicius Jr’s shot may have already crossed the line.
GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Madrid (agg: 1-1; Benzema 45+1)
Thibaut Courtois makes a fantastic save, and within 20 seconds Madrid are in front!
43 min Modric fouls Raphinha and is then shoved by Kessie. Some of the players are in a foul mood tonight.
42 min The foul count, interestingly, is Barcelona 11-2 Madrid.
40 min Possessionwatch: Barcelona 61-39 Madrid.
39 min This isn’t a classic, I won’t lie to you.
37 min An extended spell of possession for Madrid, probably their longest of the game, ends when Alaba hoofs the ball straight through to ter Stegen. A triumph.
35 min Lewandowski needs treatment after being flattened from behind, I think by Militao. He’s okay to continue.
34 min “Cheers for the bar suggestion, really appreciate that,” says Simon McMahon. “We’ve decided just to follow the MBM and are in the Meson del Champignon for beer, sangria and mushrooms. And offering the locals tips on how to beat Barca.”
33 min After a scintillating run infield, Balde’s cutback is crucially intercepted at the near post. At the other end, Benzema’s volley from a very tight angle is comfortably saved by ter Stegen.
32 min Vinicius Jr waves an imaginary card after being fouled.
30 min Balde’s cross is cleared as far as Busquets, 30 yards from goal. He slides a through ball towards Lewandowski – but Raphinha thinks it’s for him and controls it on the edge of the area.
30 min Players on both sides are going down with increasing ease, and a half that started promisingly has become bitty and fractious.
29 min “Gavi’s very good but also very annoying and gets away with far too much, maybe because he’s small,” says Gene Salorio. “I’m not generally a fan of thugs, except for my beloved Sergio Ramos, but I’d applaud Gavi meeting up with a Claudio Gentile-Billy Bremner style reducer or two.”
26 min Gavi, who has been spoiling for aggro since the start of the game, goes head to head with Vinicius Jr. Both players are booked.
25 min Moments later, Carvajal’s imaginative pass from the right just evades the stretching Rodrygo in front of goal.
24 min Vinicius Jr’s cross is punched away by ter Stegen to the edge of the area, where the backpedalling Modric mistimes a volley into the ground.
23 min It’s been a disjointed attacking performance so far from Madrid, with Benzema peripheral. Barcelona are doing most things just a little bit better; they’re also playing with greater intensity.
19 min Sergi Roberto’s crossfield pass is stylishly controlled by the stretching Raphinha, but then he runs into trouble. Barcelona’s wide forwards, Gavi and Raphinha, have been lively.
18 min Barcelona have been the better team so far, though there isn’t a huge amount in it.
16 min Xavi is booked for giving the referee a mouthful.
14 min Balde curls a nice cross towards Raphinha, who heads straight at Courtois from about 15 yards. It was a decent effort, but he’s no Steve Nicol.
12 min Valverde plays a superb pass to release Rodrygo on the right. He slides an even better ball across the six-yard box towards Vinicius, who is about to score when Araujo slides in to make a fantastic interception. Great defending.
11 min Sergi Roberto is booked for a cynical foul on Modric.
10 min Madrid have started very sluggishly. A mistake from Valverde allows Barcelona to break again, and after some quickfire passing Sergi Roberto has a shot blocked by the stretching Alaba in the six-yard box.
8 min Camavinga is limping heavily, though I think he’s going to continue for now.
6 min Barcelona have made a flying start. Raphinha robs Camavinga high up the field and gives the ball to Lewandowski just inside the area. He makes room for a shot that hits Militao and goes behind for a corner.
4 min Madrid have reverted to 4-3-3 by the way, with Fede Valverde in midfield.
3 min Gavi appeals furiously for a penalty when his cross hits the body of the falling Alaba. It definitely hit his arm, though he was on his way down so … what’s the law these days? Either way, it hasn’t been given.
2 min Balde charges to the edge of the area and flicks the ball outside to Gavi. He slides a really dangerous low cross towards Raphinha in the six-yhard box, but Camavinga does brilliantly to get in front of him and clear.
1 min Peep peep! Real Madrid kick off from right to left as we watch.
The two captains, Sergio Busquets and Karim Benzema, are all smiles as they embrace in the centre circle. It’s almost time for business.
The small print
There’s no away-goals rule in the Copa del Rey. So if Madrid win, say, 2-1, the tie will go to extra-time.
Help!!!!
“For some strange reason I’m in Madrid tonight,” says Simon McMahon. “Near Plaza Mayor. Any locals following the MBM recommend a taberna to watch the game..?”
Pre-match listening
So, Barcelona make four changes from their win at Elche on Saturday: Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Sergio Busquets and Alejandro Balde replace Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba and Ferran Torres.
Eduardo Camavinga continues at left-back for Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti has made three changes from the side that smashed Valladolid on Sunday: Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Fede Valverde come in for Aurelien Tchouameni, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio.
Barcelona (possible 4-3-3) ter Stegen; Araujo, Kounde, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Sergi Roberto; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi.
Substitutes: Ansu Fati, Torres, Pena, Alba, Garcia, Casado, Torre, Tenas, Alarcon, Estanis, Garrido.
Real Madrid (possible 4-3-3) Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes: Lunin, Luis Lopez, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Odriozola, Lucas V, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Rudiger, Mariano.
Team news
Preamble
Monsieur, with these clásicos you’re really spoiling us. Yep, for the fifth time this season and the fourth this year, we have the pleasure of watching Barcelona v Real Madrid. Tonight’s game is the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, with Barcelona 1-0 up after last month’s first leg in Madrid. They’ve had the wood on Real lately, winning four of the last five games, including a title-clinching victory here a couple of weeks ago.
Madrid haven’t reached a Copa del Rey final since 2014, when Gareth Bale scored a remarkable winner against Barcelona at the Mestalla. Barcelona have won the competition five times since then and a record 31 times overall.
Tonight’s winners will play Osasuna in Seville on 6 May; they saw off Athletic Bilbao last night thanks to Pablo Ibanez’s fairytale goal. They will be no fairytales tonight, just another hard-boiled clásico.
Kick off 9pm in Barcelona, 8pm in London.
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