Barcelona v Real Madrid Live Commentary & Result, 05/04/2023, Copa del Rey

That's all for today, goodbye!

Madrid will be making their 40th appearance in the Copa del Rey final, and they'll face Osasuna in just over a month's time. Next up for them is Villarreal in the league. Barcelona's attention will now be solely on their LaLiga title charge, starting with Girona on Monday.

Real Madrid are through to the Copa del Rey final after beating Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg and 4-1 on aggregate. The hosts dominated the first half but found themselves behind at the break after Vinicius' shot was helped over the line by Kounde following a quick break. The second half firmly belonged to the visitors though, with Benzema scoring a hat-trick. He nestled his first goal into the bottom corner before converting from the spot after Vinicius was fouled. His third came following another counter when he fired over Ter Stegen to seal it.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 0-4 REAL MADRID (1-4 ON AGGREGATE).

Ansu Fati

Yellow Card

90' + 2' Asensio is trying to shake off Fati as he drives down the right, but eventually, he's brought down, and Fati is shown a yellow card.

90' + 1' Barcelona are making a late push for a consolation in this game as Balde clips in another good cross from the left. He picks out Roberto in space, but it's a tame header from him straight into Courtois' gloves.

Nacho

K. Benzema

89' Final change for Madrid as they look to run the clock down. Benzema is off, with Nacho coming on for the last minute plus stoppage time.

Éder Militão

Yellow Card

88' It's a crunching tackle by Militao on Fati. The Brazilian is claiming he got the ball, but he didn't, and the yellow card is out for the 10th time in this game.

A. Tchouaméni

L. Modrić

87' Madrid are making a change in the aftermath of that argument. Modric is taken off, with Tchouameni on for him.

D. Alaba

Yellow Card

86' The referee is having a hard time keeping the peace here. Alaba is now involved, and it earns him a yellow card.

Alejandro Balde

Yellow Card

86' And Balde has also picked up a yellow card for his part in the argument.

Dani Ceballos

Vinícius Júnior

85' Vinicius is not happy with that push from Araujo, and he's making his feelings clear. Even Courtois has come out of his box to stop him from talking himself into a second booking, and Ancelotti does the smart thing by replacing him with Ceballos.

R. Araujo

Yellow Card

84' Frustration gets the better of Araujo here as he picks up a needless booking for pushing Vinicius to the ground following a coming together.

82' Barcelona's heads have dropped as they look to restart the game once more. They know this tie is out of their reach now, and they're in no hurry to try and attack.

Vinícius Júnior

Assist

80' Vinicius has so much space down the left, and none of the Barcelona players try to take him on until it's too late.

K. Benzema

Goal

80' HAT-TRICK! That will do it for Madrid! The visitors break quickly on the counter again, with Vinicius leading the charge down the left once more. He drifts inside, getting past Garcia on the edge of the box with a lovely bit of footwork before sliding in Benzema, who fires it over Ter Stegen, who rushed off his line. 4-0 Madrid!

78' GOOD SAVE! Madrid aren't letting up the pressure here as Vinicius darts down the left before cutting inside to square it to Asensio on the edge of the box. He curls a low shot towards the far post, but Ter Stegen tips it wide.

77' MISS! Asensio has all the time in the world to get his head up and pick out a wonderful curling cross into the box for Benzema. He flicks it on, but can't find the target as he sends it wide of the far post.

Ferran Torres

Yellow Card

76' Torres initially won the ball cleanly off Vinicius, but as he stepped back, caught the Brazilian. It was accidental, but he's shown a yellow card.

Marco Asensio

Rodrygo

74' Madrid are making their first change of the game before we get restarted here. Rodrygo is the first to go off, with Asensio on for him.

73' Courtois wants to get the game back underway after Militao received treatment, but he's being made to wait after something was thrown onto the pitch. The Barca fans think the referee is wasting time, but he won't restart until it's been dealt with.

Dani Carvajal

Yellow Card

71' Balde rides the challenge from Rodrygo before Carvajal gets across to kick his leg out from under him. Carvajal is booked for it.

69' Benzema has been involved in seven goals (five goals and two assists) in his last six Clasicos in all competitions, after being involved in just two (one goal and one assist) in his previous seven before that.

Eric García

Yellow Card

67' Madrid attempt to break quickly on the counter and Garcia slides in with a very heavy tackle on Kroos. The referee plays the advantage before pulling it back and booking the substitute.

67' BLOCK! Gavi picks out Torres on the right of the box and he clips a cross in from the byline. Lewandowski flicks it back to Balde at the far post, but the full-back's shot hits Militao. He celebrates that block like it was a goal.

Ferran Torres

Raphinha

66' And Raphinha is also taken off, with Torres replacing him.

Eric García

Marcos Alonso

66' Double change for Barcelona now. Alonso is the first to make way for Garcia.

64' This time when Barcelona win the ball back, Busquets spins and looks to slide it through for Raphinha. There are three forward for the hosts, but Alaba cuts it out before it reaches the Brazilian.

62' Madrid are full of confidence now and that third goal has taken the wind out of Barca's sails. The hosts can't even get out of their own half at the moment, and the pressure keeps coming.

60' WHAT A CHANCE! That surely would've been it for Madrid! Benzema holds it up brilliantly before knocking it out to Modric on the left. He draws Ter Stegen out to him and fizzes it across the six-yard box. Rodrygo has an empty net to aim for, but can't get there in time.

Ansu Fati

F. Kessié

59' Xavi is making the first change as his side need two goals to take this tie to extra time. It's Kessie, who gave away the penalty, that's going off for Fati.

K. Benzema

Penalty Goal

58' BENZEMA SCORES AGAIN! Cool as you like from the Madrid captain! Ter Stegen is doing everything he can to put him off, but it doesn't work as Benzema curls his shot around the keeper, who is diving the wrong way, and into the back of the net. 3-0 Madrid!

57' PENALTY TO MADRID! Vinicius chooses not to run at Araujo in the box and instead checks back. Kessie stretches across him to try and stop him, standing on his foot, and the referee points straight to the spot.

56' WIDE! Araujo brushes Camavinga aside as he bursts down the right, and though he loses the ball twice, his persistence pays off as he wins it back both times. He spins away from Valverde before firing a low shot across goal, but it rolls wide.

54' GOOD CHANCE! Camavinga can't cope with Raphinha at the moment as the winger is slid in again. This time, he takes on the shot from a tight angle, firing towards the near post, but he sends it wide.

53' It's another good switch of play from Barcelona, this time to pick out Raphinha on the right. Camavinga watches as the Brazilian lets it bounce before turning to run into the box, but recovers well to poke it out for a corner.

52' GOOD SAVE! It's better from Barca as they quickly move it upfield from the restart, and Balde finds himself in space on the left of the box. He fires a shot across goal, but Courtois gets two strong hands behind it.

L. Modrić

Assist

50' Modric has a quick glance up as the ball is played into his feet before making a great run inside to pick out Benzema.

K. Benzema

Goal

50' BENZEMA SCORES! Barcelona just couldn't clear their lines, and Madrid make them pay! Modric cuts inside from the right, taking three players out of the game. He squares it to Benzema on the edge of the box, and he takes the shot first time, nestling it into the far bottom corner. 2-0 Madrid!

48' Araujo commits himself as he rushes out to Vinicius, who cleverly jinks past him and darts along the byline. He tries to poke it into the middle for Benzema, but Alonso clears.

46' Barca get us back underway for the second half!

Madrid haven't been at their best, but Ancelotti will be looking to pick up where they left off in the first half as they look to turn this tie on its head. Xavi was a frustrated figure from the first whistle, with some of that aimed towards the referee, but he'll need to rally his side and hope they can quickly put Madrid's goal behind them.

A goal late in the first half gives Madrid a 1-0 lead in the game and pulls them level at 1-1 with Barca in the tie. The hosts dominated the early stages, without testing Courtois too much other than a thumping header from Raphina, which was straight at the keeper. There was late drama though, as Courtois made a brilliant save to deny Lewandowski's first-time effort which set Madrid on the counter for Vinicius' goal as his low strike was helped in by Kounde.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 0-1 REAL MADRID (1-1 ON AGGREGATE).

K. Benzema

Assist

45' + 1' Benzema raced back to give his support for Vinicius so he could play the one-two, and a VAR check shows he was onside.

Vinícius Júnior

Goal

45' + 1' VINICIUS SCORES! It's all starts with a brilliant stop by Courtois to deny Lewandowski, and Madrid break quickly on the counter. Vinicius drives through the middle, playing a one-two with Benzema to his right. The Brazilian drills a low shot on goal, and Kounde tries to block it on the line, but it trickles over at the far post. 1-0 Madrid!

44' Courtois' goal-kick is brought down by Busquets, who spins and tries to get Balde in behind down the left again. Carvajal gets across to him this time though and makes the interception.

42' Kounde steps in to pick Kroos' pocket and threads it forward for Raphinha. Camavinga nudges him off it but inadvertently helps it on for Kessie to chase, but Alaba slides in to block it.

40' There's a nervy moment at the back for Barcelona as Ter Stegen takes a heavy first touch with Benzema bearing down on him. He scrambles to clear his lines, and does it just in time.

38' Modric spreads play out to Vinicius again, and he chooses to curl an early throughball into the area. There's too much on it for Benzema though, and it bounces harmlessly out.

36' Madrid are scrambling back into their own box as Barcelona surge forward again, and Gavi has space on the right. The final ball lets the hosts down again though, and it's cleared.

34' Lewandowski is currently down after receiving a knee to the back from Militao, who crashed into him. The referee is trying in vain to keep a level of calm in this game as the striker is given treatment.

32' It's an incredible run from Balde, who starts near the halfway line and zig-zags his way down the wing before pulling it back from the byline. None of his team-mates are there again though, and Madrid clear.

30' Balde gets away from Carvajal down the left again and hangs another good cross into the middle of the box. Lewandowski peeled away to the far side, and it's Valverde that gets it away.

28' It's starting to boil over here, with neither team happy with some of the decisions going against them. When Vinicius gives away a free-kick, he has to be pulled away by Modric before he can complain.

Vinícius Júnior

Yellow Card

26' And Vinicius gets one as well for losing his temper.

Gavi

Yellow Card

26' Gavi pushed Vinicius aside, and the Brazilian isn't too happy with the challenge. After some shoving, they go head-to-head and the referee wastes no time in showing Gavi a yellow card.

24' Vinicius gets away from Araujo down the left and whips a dangerous cross into the box with the outside of his boot. Benzema is hovering on the penalty spot, but Ter Stegen punches it away.

22' Barcelona are upping the pressure again here as Roberto lifts the ball into the box towards Lewandowski. He has Militao tight to him, but does well to win his side a corner.

20' It's patient play from the hosts before Gavi plays a wonderful switch out to Raphinha on the right. His team-mates are slow to get up in support once more though, and another chance to attack is wasted.

18' Madrid just can't keep hold of the ball in midfield at the moment, and it's allowing Barca to keep mounting counter-attacks. Raphinha leads the latest charge, but takes too long to pick out a cross.

Yellow Card

16' Kessie collided with Vinicius and went down, and the referee allowed play to continue much to Barcelona's frustration. When a free-kick goes Madrid's way, the protests increase in volume, and Xavi talks himself into a booking.

14' SAVE! Balde is getting a lot of joy down the left early on here and he clips a great cross into the box. Militao doesn't get enough on it, and it carries through to Raphinha, but his thumping header is straight at Courtois.

12' It's a wonderful throughball from Kroos to pick out Rodrygo's run down the right, and he surges past Alonso before fizzing a low cross to the far post. Araujo stops it from going through to Vinicius, sliding into the woodwork in the process.

Sergi Roberto

Yellow Card

10' Madrid look to break quickly on the counter, and Roberto reaches out to pull Modric's run. He's shown the first booking of the game.

10' BLOCK! Madrid are struggling to cope with Barcelona's fast start here! Balde's pull-back is deflected on the way through to Gavi, so he tees up Roberto instead. He hits a low shot on goal, but Alaba sticks out a leg to block it.

9' Barcelona have won their last three games against Madrid in all competitions, and only once before have they won four or more Clasicos in a row: five between 2008 and 2010, all of them under Pep Guardiola.

7' After tracking back following his mistake, Camavinga has now gone down holding his hip after an awkward pass. He's back on his feet quickly after treatment, albeit moving gingerly, but he's going to carry on for now.

6' Camavinga dawdles on the ball and pays for it as Raphinha gets across to nick it off him. He squares it into the box for Lewandowski, but he can't open up space and fires his shot against Militao.

4' There are big shouts for handball from the home fans and players here after Alaba slid in to block Gavi's cross. The referee emphatically says no to a spot-kick, and VAR backs him up after a quick check.

2' BLOCK! It's a superb big switch from Araujo out to Balde on the left, and he lays it off to Gavi in the box. He drills a dangerous low cross towards the far post where Roberto is running onto it, but Carvajal gets there just in front of him.

1' Benzema gets the game underway for Madrid!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Barcelona are looking to reach a record-extending 43rd Copa del Rey final, winning 31 of those matches, including their most recent in 2020-21. Madrid are aiming for their 40th appearance in the final, but haven't made it that far since 2013-14.

Carlo Ancelotti makes just three changes to his team after their thrashing of Valladolid last time out. Carvajal, Modric and Valverde are brought in, with Asensio, Tchouameni and Vazquez dropping to the bench. They're boosted by the returns of Rudiger and Mariano from injury among the substitutes, and Nacho is also back in the squad after serving a domestic ban.

Xavi makes four changes from the side that eased past Elche at the weekend. Raphinha returns from a ban to start, with Balde, Kessie and Busquets also coming in. Torres, Garcia, Alba and Fati all start on the bench.

REAL MADRID SUBS: Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, Jesus Vallejo, Dani Ceballos, Alvaro Odriozola, Aurelien Tchouameni, Andriy Lunin, Eden Hazard, Luis Lopez, Nacho.

REAL MADRID STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga; Luka Modric, Toni Kroos; Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior; Karim Benzema.

BARCELONA SUBS: Estanis Pedrola, Inaki Pena, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, Arnau Tenas, Ansu Fati, Jordi Alba, Marc Casado, Angel Alarcon, Pablo Torre, Aleix Garrido.

BARCELONA STARTING XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde; Franck Kessie, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi.

It's the hosts that hold the advantage coming into this game, with Eder Militao's own goal giving them a 1-0 lead from the first leg. This is actually the fifth meeting between these sides this season in all competitions, with Barcelona registering three wins to Madrid's one. Xavi's side come into today in good form, winning their last five outings on the bounce, and conceding just once in that run. As for Madrid, they bounced back from the El Clasico defeat before the international break by beating Real Valladolid 6-0 at the weekend. They've lost just two of their last 12 matches in all competitions (W8 D2), though both of those defeats have come against Barca.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou!

Barcelona v Real Madrid Live Commentary, 05/04/2023

Key Events

Match Stats

Commentary