Despite being the underdogs and missing several key players, Barcelona pulled off a surprising 1-0 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg. The victory was unexpected given Barca's recent slump, including a knockout loss to Manchester United in the Europa League and a shock defeat to Almeria. While the home crowd anticipated a dominant performance from Madrid, they were left disappointed. This cautious outlook was shared by Xavi Hernandez, who admitted that Real Madrid were the favorites despite Barcelona's 3-1 win over them in the Spanish Super Cup earlier in January.
An Eder Militao own goal gave depleted Barcelona a surprising 1-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid in their Copa del Rey semifinal first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday. The Catalans arrived on the back of two consecutive defeats, their Europa League playoffs elimination by Manchester United last week and a first-ever loss against La Liga minnows Almeria, Madrid fans smelled a comfortable win but left bitterly frustrated. Despite the Catalans having won the Spanish Super Cup Clasico 3-1 in Saudi Arabia on January 15, Barca’s manager Xavi Hernandez called Madrid favourites ahead of the tie.
Barcelona faced the match with a significantly weakened attack, as injuries sidelined top scorer Robert Lewandowski, midfield engine Pedri, and the dangerous Ousmane Dembele. Yet, the lack of star power didn't hinder them early on. In the first half, Ferran Torres capitalized on a defensive error by Madrid, passing to Franck Kessie. Kessie's shot was stopped by Courtois, but the ball bounced off defender Eder Militao, resulting in an own goal that gave Barca the lead.
Real Madrid's star man, Karim Benzema, saw a potential equalizer disallowed after he was caught offside while receiving a ball from Vinicius Junior, ensuring Barcelona held their 1-0 lead as of the 26th minute.
Before the break, Dani Carvajal had a golden opportunity to level the score but sent his shot sailing over the crossbar. The first half concluded with Barcelona leading 1-0, and Vinicius Junior picking up a yellow card after a heated physical struggle with Frenkie de Jong ended in a headlock.
Barcelona nearly doubled their lead in the 72nd minute when Kessie found himself in a scoring position following another pass from Torres, but in a strange twist, his shot was accidentally blocked by his own teammate, Ansu Fati. While Madrid controlled the possession for much of the game, they struggled to create real chances, failing to record a single shot on target against a disciplined Barca defense.
The match was also a historic milestone for Sergio Busquets, who played his 46th Clasico, officially surpassing the appearance records of both Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos in this legendary rivalry. Reflecting on the win, Busquets noted that while the victory provides a great boost to the team's confidence, they must remain focused as the second leg is still ahead. He also expressed his pride in becoming the player with the most Clasico appearances in history.
These two rivals are set to clash again on March 19 in a La Liga match—where Barcelona currently holds a seven-point lead over Madrid—before the high-stakes second leg of the Copa del Rey takes place at Camp Nou on April 5.