Melilla v Real Madrid Live Commentary & Result, 31/10/2018, Copa del Rey

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The win is a welcome one for Madrid, who really needed a positive result in the wake of Lopetegui's sacking. They'll be hoping they can continue to find their form against Real Valladolid on the weekend, while Melilla return to domestic action against Almeria II.

Melilla gave it a good go but it was always going to be difficult for them to find a way past Madrid, even with so many of the LaLiga giants' star players back at home. The home side fought bravely in the first half and created some decent chances, but as soon as Asensio made it 2-0 you sensed it was game over.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: MELILLA 0-4 REAL MADRID

Álvaro Odriozola

Assist

90' + 2' That was a really good piece of play from Odriozola, who has certainly been one of Madrid's standout performers this evening.

Cristo González

Goal

90' + 2' GOAL! Madrid have made it 4-0! A last-minute corner is sent short and worked to Odriozola, who then chips a lovely cross over to Gonzalez and sets up the forward to beat Barrio with a well-placed downward header.

90' + 1' Vazquez charges down the right-hand side of the Melilla box and sends a dangerous pass fizzing across the face of goal, but none of the numerous red shirts are quite able to latch onto it and the hosts survive.

90' The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.

88' Vinicius makes good progress down the left wing before cutting inside and teeing up Gonzalez. The youngster twists and turns before eventually getting a shot away, but it's overhit and fails to trouble Barrio.

86' A lofted pass is fired over the top of the Melilla back line and looks as if it's going to pick out Gonzalez, but Barrio does well to read the danger, rush out and blast the ball away from the onrushing forward.

Fran Bueno

Lolo Garrido

84' Meanwhile, Melilla have replaced Garrido with Bueno.

Cristo González

Marco Asensio

83' Madrid have made a late switch, with Asensio making way for Gonzalez.

81' Vinicius shows great desire to get past Chalka over on the left flank before heading into the penalty area and shooting, but a deflection off Mahanan sends it a few yards wide of the near post.

Vinícius Júnior

Assist

79' Vinicius was incredibly close to scoring himself after latching onto the ball inside the six-yard box, but he'll have to settle for an assist after inadvertently setting up his team-mate instead.

Álvaro Odriozola

Goal

79' GOAL! There it is! The win is as good as Madrid's thanks to a close-range tap-in from Odriozola, who is able to take advantage of a goalmouth scramble that the hosts weren't able to clear in time and makes it 3-0.

77' Melilla have shown good desire since the half-time break, but with only 13 minutes left to go, you sense their time has been and gone. Madrid are now on the front foot once again as they try to kill off the game.

Brahim Amar

Igor Martínez

75' The home side have made another change, with Martinez, who has looked sharp tonight, making way for Amar.

74' Melilla quickly break forward and manage to carve out a chance of their own over on the left-hand side of the box, but Ruano's low shot is slightly mishit and fails to find the bottom corner of the net.

Lucas Vázquez

Yellow Card

72' Vazquez tried to latch onto the rebound and lead with his arm as he jumped in the air, resulting in him being booked.

72' Vinicius hits the bar! The Brazilian goes incredibly close to scoring his first ever Madrid goal, but his thumping strike from the edge of the box ends up hitting the woodwork after beating Barrio.

Brian Martín

Y. Qasmi

70' Melilla have made their first change of the night, with Qasmi receiving a rousing round of applause as he's replaced by Martin.

68' Vazquez finds himself in space over on the right-hand side of the Melilla box and heads towards the byline, where he sends a chipped cross towards Vinicius. The Brazilian can't quite get his head on the ball, though, and the hosts just about manage to hold on.

66' After a slow start to the second half, Madrid are really starting to increase the pressure now. Asensio is the latest player to break into the box, but he's unable to get a shot away due to smart goalkeeping from Barrio, who rushes out to block Vinicius' pass.

64' Another decent attacking move from the visitors results in a decent chance on goal, but this time it's Llorente who sends a low strike straight into the hands of Barrio from just outside the penalty area.

62' Chance for Ceballos! For the first time this half, Madrid are able to make it through to Melilla defence and through on goal, but Barrio pulls off another good save to deny the LaLiga giants a third goal.

60' Melilla continue trying to find some joy over on the right flank, where this time it's Chakla who gets forward well. The full-back's cross towards Qasmi is a poor one, though, and Navas is able to watch it sail high over the crossbar.

58' Qasmi breaks through the middle of the visitors' back line once again after more good play from Martinez, but the striker's run into the penalty area is slightly mistimed and the linesman's flag is raised as soon as he touches the ball.

56' Madrid patiently pass the ball around as they enjoy a decent spell of possession, but an attempted chipped pass up towards Valverde is mishit and can only find a blue shirt on the edge of the box.

54' Great chance for the home side! Martinez is left in acres of space over on the right flank and delivers a wonderful cross into the middle of the box, where Qasmi sticks out a foot but misses the ball by the narrowest of margins.

52' Two goals down, Melilla are certainly showing plenty of fight as they try to find a way back into the game. Unlike many other small sides, they aren't content to sit back and soak up the pressure before counter-attacking - they're sending players forward as they try to find a way through the sea of red in front of them.

50' Qasmi is tripped by Sanchez as the two battle for the ball, resulting in a free kick for the home side in a promising position. They're unable to make it count, though, as Ruano's cross-cum-shot is poor and sails well wide of the goal.

48' Melilla enjoy a decent start to the second half as they pile plenty of bodies forward. A low cross is fired in from the left wing and picks out Martinez, but his first-time shot is quickly closed down and fails to trouble Navas.

46' We're underway once again!

Nacho

Sergio Ramos

46' And the second is Nacho, with Ramos making way.

F. Valverde

K. Benzema

46' Madrid have decided to make two substitutions before the start of the second half. The first player to come on is Valverde, who replaces Benzema.

The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.

It hasn't been entirely plain-sailing for the Madrid defenders, though, and they've found themselves caught out on a few occasions. That presents a way back into the game for the home side, but they'll have to be at their very best if they're to score at least twice in the second half.

It took Madrid a bit of time to get going but they now find themselves comfortably in front thanks to a second goal on the stroke of half-time. Melilla have shown a desire to get forward but that's left them exposed at the back, and so far Los Blancos have done a good job at making them pay for their attack-minded approach.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: MELILLA 0-2 REAL MADRID

Vinícius Júnior

Assist

45' + 1' That was good play by Vinicius, who started the game slowly but is growing into it as it wears on. The Brazilian is quickly starting to make an impact over on the left flank.

Marco Asensio

Goal

45' + 1' GOAL! It's 2-0 to Madrid! With the last kick of the first half, Asensio fires a low shot past Barrio and into the back of the net after being set up by a poked pass from Vinicius.

45' The fourth official has indicated that there will be one minute of added time.

44' Two big chances for Madrid! Once again, Vazquez bursts into the penalty area and shoots, but his low effort is comfortably stopped by Barrio. Vinicius is then presented with an opportunity to test the goalkeeper, but his curling strike from just inside the box fails to find the far corner.

42' Vazquez is presented with another excellent opportunity to increase Madrid's lead after finding himself in a pocket of space in front of goal, but he takes too long to shoot and is eventually guided away from goal by the onrushing Barrio.

40' Madrid are caught with slightly too many players up the pitch and allow Martinez to break through on goal, but luckily for the visitors his shot is a wayward one and the linesman's flag is raised as soon as it misses the far post.

39' What a chance for Vazquez to make it 2-0! A Melilla free kick quickly results in a Madrid counter-attack, but Vazquez isn't able to make it count and instead sends a tame shot straight into the legs of Barrio. He really should have done better there!

37' Melilla show a bit more attacking intent once again as they break down the right flank on another decent attack, but this time Martinez runs out of pitch before crossing and the linesman's flag is quickly raised.

35' Luckily for Madrid, Ceballos is able to get back to his feet, and the game gets underway once again. Melilla win themselves a corner but are unable to make it count, with the cross towards the far post being too deep to pick out a blue shirt.

34' This doesn't look good for Ceballos, who has gone down in a heap on the floor after seemingly twisting his ankle. He was aiming to press quickly but got his foot caught in the ground, leaving him in quite a lot of discomfort.

32' Chakla catches Vinicius with a slightly sloppy challenge and concedes a free kick in a dangerous position out wide. It initially fails to find a team-mate before bouncing over to Ceballos, who crosses but is closed down well on the edge of the box.

30' Madrid come back once again as they attempt to double their lead. Odriozola gets forward once again but this time can't pick out Benzema with his looping cross.

Álvaro Odriozola

Assist

28' That was a really good run from Odriozola, who has done well so far, but Melilla will be disappointed with their defending there, as they left far too much room available for their opponents to break into.

K. Benzema

Goal

28' GOAL! Madrid are 1-0 up! As expected, the LaLiga giants are able to take the lead thanks to a quick counter-attack, with Odriozola storming down the flank before setting up Benzema to tap in from close range.

27' Melilla are starting to show a bit more attacking intent after looking content to sit back and defend, and it's leaving them open at the back. Madrid are starting to counter-attack well, with Odriozola looking particular lively over on the right.

25' Vital interception! Madrid hit their opponents on a quick counter-attack and go close to carving out a really good chance on goal, but Odriozola's low cross is excellently cut out by Mahanan before it can find Benzema.

23' Great save by Barrio! Vazquez manages to carve out some space for himself 20 yards away from goal and shoots, but his deflected effort is brilliantly tipped over the top of the crossbar by the Melilla goalkeeper.

21' Odriozola and Vazquez link up over on the right wing as Madrid try to find joy out wide once again, but the forward is quickly closed down as soon as he reaches the edge of the penalty area, bringing an end to another attempted attack.

19' After a slightly slow start to the game, Madrid are comfortably on the front foot at the moment, but they're struggling to carve out decent chances on goal. Melilla look well organised at the back and are making sure their opponents can't find too much space inside the final third of the pitch.

17' Reguilon gets himself into a pocket of space over on the left wing and swings a deep cross into the box. It heads towards Vazquez but fails to find the forward, who sticks out a foot but can't quite latch onto the ball at the far post.

15' Ramos slips attempting to deal with a throughball and almost allows Otegui to break into the penalty area, but luckily for the centre-back Reguilon is able to dart across the pitch and deal with the danger at the vital moment.

13' Ruano causes problems over on the left flank once again before quickly cutting inside and going down after tangling with Odriozola. He wants a free kick but the referee doesn't agree and instead allows play to go on.

S. Chakla

Yellow Card

11' The yellow card is out once again, and this time it's Chakla who finds himself on the end of it for a mistimed sliding challenge on Vazquez as the hosts press Madrid high up the pitch.

Javier Sánchez

Yellow Card

10' Ouch! Melilla do well to bring an end to a determined Madrid attacking move before breaking forward themselves, but Qasmi is immediately fouled from behind by Sanchez and the youngster is shown the game's first yellow card.

8' What a chance for Martinez! Madrid are caught open at the back, allowing the winger to burst into the box and towards goal. He takes on Navas and shoots but can only send his low strike wide of the far post.

6' Odriozola manages to find a way past Chakla and send a cross into the home side's penalty area, but it's sent slightly behind the group of red shirts waiting and Melilla easily clear the danger.

4' Madrid enjoy a decent spell of possession and push forward on their first attack of the game. Vinicius breaks down the wing and delivers a clever cross towards the near post, where Asensio gets a foot on the ball but can't guide it towards goal.

2' That didn't miss by much! Melilla have immediately gone on the front foot as they try to take advantage of any nerves in the Madrid ranks. Ruano gets forward well down the left wing before unleashing a cross-cum-shot, and it ends up swinging just a yard or two wide of the far post.

1' We're off! It's Melilla who get us underway.

The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.

Whatever happens this evening, we should see the ball hit the back of the net plenty of times. At least three goals have been scored in 12 of the previous 14 Copa del Rey games involving Madrid, with the LaLiga giants last failing to score in a cup clash back in January 2015.

Meanwhile, Melilla head coach Luis Carrion has made five alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Mahanan, Juanmi Carrion, Chakla, Martinez and Alfonsito all coming into the starting 11.

Solari has decided to make nine changes to the Madrid side that took to the field against Barcelona on the weekend, with the most notable inclusion being Vinicius, who makes his first competitive start for the club. Sanchez has also been handed a debut, while Reguilon features for only the second time.

Real Madrid substitutes: Thibaut Courtois, Nacho, Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Adrian de la Fuente, Cristo Gonzalez, Francisco Feuillassier.

Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Alvaro Odriozola, Javi Sanchez, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Reguilon; Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente, Marco Asensio; Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.

Melilla substitutes: Pedro Luis, Brahim Amar, Brian Martin, Jordi Ortega, Pepe Romero, Oscar Garcia, Fran Bueno.

Melilla XI (4-4-2): Dani Barrio; Mohamed Mahanan, Juanmi Carrion, Richi Segura, Sofian Chakla; Igor Martinez, Lolo Garrido, Alfonsito, Juan Ruano; Yacine Qasmi, Antonio Otegui.

There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up today…

Today’s game couldn’t come at a better time for Melilla, who are not only taking on a Madrid side in crisis but also while they themselves are enjoying an excellent run of form. The Segunda B team currently sit second in the table and have lost just once this season, setting them up brilliantly for their first ever competitive meeting with Los Blancos.

Despite their struggles, Solari has decided to leave out several of Madrid’s biggest players, with the likes of Luka Modric, Isco and Gareth Bale not making the trip. Injury problems have hampered his selection, too, with injuries for Marcelo, Dani Carvajal and Raphael Varane leaving him reliant on youngsters and second-stringers.

Lopetegui’s sacking means Madrid head to north Africa with Santiago Solari temporarily in charge, and they’ll be aiming to immediately bounce back after last weekend’s humiliation. A terrible run of form has seen Madrid win just one of their last seven matches across all competitions, and a defeat against lower league opposition is an unthinkable prospect.

Madrid would normally approach a tie such as this evening’s with plenty of confidence, but a bruising few weeks has left them licking their wounds and in absolute disarray. Sunday’s thrashing at the hands of eternal rivals Barcelona proved to be the end for Julen Lopetegui, with the former Spain boss being given the boot after just four turbulent months.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Copa del Rey fourth round game between Melilla and Real Madrid at the Estadio Alvarez Claro.

Melilla v Real Madrid Live Commentary, 31/10/2018

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