Real Madrid Leave Atletico Stunned After Epic Comeback In Derby

Real Madrid
Real Madrid

In Thursday’s quarterfinal game of the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid overcame a goal deficit to defeat Atletico Madrid 3 goals to 1 in extra time on the strength of goals from Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Karim Benzema

Atletico Tried Hard But Real Madrid Proved To Be Too Resilient

Atletico took the lead near the 20-minute mark when Koke’s, the captain, pass found Nahuel Molina, the full-back. His cross set up Alvaro Morata for an easy goal. After the half-time whistle, substitute Rodrygo equalized, eluding three defenders from Atletico to shoot past Jan Oblak. Stefan Savic received a red card in extra time which left Atletico with 10 men. 

During extra time, Benzema gave the home team the lead while Vinicius scored a late third and ensured the advance of Real Madrid. In the semifinals, the Madrid giants will be alongside Athletic Club, Barcelona, and Osasuna. 

For Atletico, this season has been challenging. Their campaign in the Champions League was a complete failure; they placed last in their group and were denied participation in the Europa League. In La Liga, their goal is to just finish in the top four. Their local opponents have now heartbreakingly stolen their opportunity to win the Copa Del Rey – the last piece of silverware available to them.

Morata’s goal gave Atletico the lead at the Bernabeu for 60 minutes. However, if there’s one thing to learn from recent performances of Real Madrid in cup games over the past year, it really is that they do not know when they’re losing. Fans knew there could only be a single winner as soon as Rodrygo’s magnificent shot for the equalizer found the inside of the goal. No one was at all surprised by Benzema’s extra-time goal or Vinicius’ third which was simply a cherry on the cake at that point.