Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid Live Commentary & Result, 1/29/20, Copa del Rey

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Real Zaragoza face a crucial clash at the weekend, facing top-of-the-table Cadiz on the road in the Segunda Division. Real Madrid have an important match of their own, hosting Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby on Saturday.

Real Madrid advance to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with ease this evening courtesy of a 4-0 win over Real Zaragoza. Raphael Varane gave his side the lead in the sixth minute when he converted Toni Kroos' cross from close range before Lucas Vazquez added a second with the German once again creating the opening. Vinicius Junior made it three in the second half after playing a neat one-two with James Rodriguez. Karim Benzema then put the icing on the cake, stabbing a low effort home for the fourth. It was a professfional performance from Los Blancos to secure their place in the last eight, extending their unbeaten run to 20 matches in all competitions. Real Zaragoza were simply outplayed tonight, but can now turn their attention back to their promotion push from the Segunda Division.

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

90' + 2' Atienza is on the spot in the dying seconds to clear Marcelo's cross away from Benzema, who would have had a tap-in from close range.

90' There will be two minutes of added time.

90' Benzema releases Vazquez in space down the right inside channel. The Spaniard has team-mates in support in the middle, but Raton comes off his line to smother his low cross.

89' OVER! Marcelo has acres of space to surge into down the left inside channel. The Brazilian goes for a strike from a tight angle, but he blazes his effort over the bar.

88' Shots are raining in on the Madrid goal now as Eguaras tees up Guti from 25 yards, but the midfielder sends his effort over the bar.

85' CHANCE! Blanco continues to make an impact as he latches on to Kagawa's pass and he beats the challenge of Marcelo, but he blasts his left-footed strike over the bar from just inside the box.

84' WIDE! Kagawa and Benzema exchange efforts at both ends, but neither can hit the target with their respective strikes at goal.

83' OVER! Diaz twists and turns on the edge of the box before lining up a right-footed strike that he sends over the bar.

82' Blanco launches another attempt at goal, but again he sends his effort straight at Areola.

Carvajal

Assist

79' Carvajal latches on to a throughball before cutting a low cross into the middle for Benzema to score.

K. Benzema

Goal

79' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! BENZEMA STABS THE BALL HOME!!! 4-0 MADRID!!!! Los Blancos have their fourth goal of the evening as the Frenchman converts from close range. Carvajal surges into space down the right inside channel from Kroos' pass. He spots Benzema in the middle and picks him out with a pinpoint low ball that the forward steers past Raton from six yards.

79' Blanco surges down the right flank and cuts back to shoot on his left foot from the edge of the box. He gets his effort on target, but Areola makes a comfortable save.

78' SAVE! Kagawa does brilliantly to open up the Madrid defence with a right-footed pass to release Suarez through on goal. The forward goes for a low strike towards the bottom-left corner, but Areola makes a fine save with his boot.

76' Marcelo latches on to James' cross-field pass from right to left and clips a delivery to the back post. Benzema steers an effort towards goal, but is denied by Raton. The offside flag is up an anyway against the forward.

Raúl Guti

Alberto Soro

74' Guti comes on to the field for Soro for the home side.

K. Benzema

L. Jović

73' Jovic is withdrawn for Benzema for the final 17 minutes.

Brahim Díaz

Vinícius Júnior

73' Vinicius scores and then makes way for Diaz in the final third.

J. Rodríguez

Assist

72' James splits open the Zaragoza defence with his pass to release Vincius, who finds the back of the net.

Vinícius Júnior

Goal

72' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! VINICIUS NOTCHES MADRID'S THIRD!!!! 3-0!!! The visitors surely wrap up the tie now as Vinicius finds the net. The Brazilian runs at the Zaragoza defence and plays a neat-one two with James. The Colombian threads a pass through to the winger, who holds his composure to fire a low strike past Raton into the bottom-left corner.

71' WIDE! Eguaras latches on to a cutback on the edge of the box, but can only pull his effort wide of the right post.

70' Marcelo's control lets him down at the crucial moment down the left flank as he latches on to a throughball from Valverde.

Nacho

Sergio Ramos

68' Ramos must be carrying an injury as he is withdrawn for Nacho at the back. A slight concern for Zidane.

67' Blanco collects down the left inside channel and he tries to get the better of Carvajal, but the defender holds his ground. The eventual cross from the Zaragoza winger heads into the side-netting.

64' Ramos takes a chance at the back as he takes his time clearing his lines, but the Madrid skipper draws a foul from Soro.

63' OVER! Igbekeme and Clemente combine to tee up Kagawa in the box, but the Japanese scoops his effort over the bar with his left-footed strike.

60' WIDE! Igbekeme has the first strike in anger from Zaragoza in the second half. He goes for goal from 25 yards, but he slices his left-footed strike wide of the target.

59' Suarez and Blanco combine to threaten in the final third and Carvajal has to be on the spot to divert the ball out for a corner.

Álex Blanco

André Pereira

59' Blanco replaces Pereira in the final third for the hosts.

58' James tries an ambitious chipped effort towards the right-top corner, but Raton watches the ball sail over the bar.

L. Suárez

Miguel Linares

58' Suarez comes on to the pitch to replace Linares.

57' Atienza has to put his body on the line to block a strike from Marcelo behind after the Zaragoza defence switches off from a corner.

55' The home side string a series of passes together, but Igbekeme fails to find a team-mate with his low cross into the box allowing Madrid to clear the danger.

52' Vinicius has acres of space on the left flank and he tries to send a cross deep to the back post, but it sails out for a goal-kick.

50' Madrid have started the half with an attacking intent. They look keen to kill the tie off as soon as possible.

48' Vinicius surges down left flank and sends a teasing cross into the middle, but Raton is off his line to clear with his feet ahead of Jovic and Vazquez in the middle.

47' Vinicius tries to release the run of Jovic behind the Zaragoza defence, but the forward moves too soon and is caught offside.

46' We're back underway in this Copa del Rey clash.

Madrid have put forward a professional performance this evening. They have been clinical in the final third and solid at the back. Zinedine Zidane will be pleased with the standard of their display thus fas and he will not want to see those levels drop in the second period.

Real Madrid hold a comfortable 2-0 lead over Real Zaragoza at the break in their Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash. The visitors went ahead in the sixth minute when Raphael Varane was in the right place at the back post to convert Toni Kroos' cross. Kroos was once again the provider for the second goal as he played in Lucas Vazquez in the penalty area, and the Spaniard drilled his effort past Alvaro Raton. Zaragoza threatened briefly through Shinji Kagawa, who saw his strike from the edge of the box tipped over by Alphonse Areola. However, the home side are going to need a special effort in the second half to mount a comeback to get back into the game.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: REAL ZARAGOZA 0-2 REAL MADRID

45' Linares has space on the edge of the box and lines up a strike on his left foot, but it's charged down by Ramos.

45' There will be one minute of added time.

43' James raids down the left flank and he cuts the ball back across the face of goal, but Grippo is there to make an important clearance.

41' Madrid are controlling proceedings with ease at the moment. They're not being put undey any pressure by the home team.

39' Marcelo works a pass to Vincius in the left inside channel. He tries to display quick feet to get past Atienza before firing at goal. The effort from the Brazilian is tame and Raton gets down to make the save.

36' James leads a Madrid surge foward and he clips a cross to the back post towards Carvajal, but the full-back can only send a tame header straight at Raton.

34' Madrid have their two-goal lead now and can relax into their game. Expect the visitors to use their pace on the counter.

T. Kroos

Assist

32' Kroos releases Vazquez in the box with a sublime throughball before Vazquez provides the finish.

Lucas Vázquez

Goal

32' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! VAZQUEZ FIRES HOME!!!! 2-0 MADRID!! Los Blancos extend their advantage as Vazquez finds the top-right corner with his strike from inside the box. Igbekeme loses possession in the Zaragoza area and the ball travels towards Kroos. The German slides an incisive pass towards Vazquez, who takes a touch before drilling his attempt past Raton.

31' Zaragoza keep the pressure on from a corner and Kagawa goes for another strike from the edge of the box, only to see this effort charged down by Valverde.

30' WIDE! Kagawa runs at the Madrid defence and cuts inside before pulling the trigger on a left-footed strike. Varane makes the block, but the ball travels just wide of the post as Areola scrambles across his line.

29' OFFSIDE! Vinicius wins possession on the edge of the Zaragoza box and looks for an offload towards James. The Colombian collects and cuts the ball back to the Brazilian to shoot, but the flag is up against the midfielder before the winger places an effort wide of the post.

27' CHANCE! Carvajal latches on to a lofted pass from Kroos and cuts the ball back to Valverde in the right inside channel, only for the midfielder to scuff his strike over the bar.

24' SAVE! Areola keeps Zaragoza at bay. The home side probe on the edge of the box before Kagawa shifts the ball on to his left foot to open up room for a strike. His effort takes a deflection and heads towards the top-left corner, only to be denied by a fine save from the Madrid keeper.

23' Clemente collects down the left in space and he hangs a dangerous cross into the middle. Linares rises, but Ramos does brilliantly ahead of the forward to glance away the delivery. He had to make that intervention.

22' Soro goes down under pressure from Vinicius in the middle of the park and wins his team a free-kick. Zaragoza are winning set-pieces, but are not threatening the Madrid defence.

20' Kagawa collects on the right flank fromm a short corner and he goes for a strike from a tight angle only to see his effort blocked behind by Varane.

18' Madrid are winning the key battles on the pitch to quell the threat of the home side. It has been comfortable thus far for Los Blancos.

16' Zaragoza almost get themselves in a tangle at the back as Grippo tries to weave his way out of trouble. However, Jovic fouls the defender as he tries to win possession.

14' Linares tries to beat Carvajal to a loose ball and is brought down by the Madrid full-back. A free-kick is awarded to the home side, but there's no further punishment for Carvajal.

13' Kroos clips his delivery into a dangerous area towards Ramos, but Zaragoza are able to scramble it away from the box.

12' WIDE! Vinicius surges down the left flank and he clips a cross to the back post. James goes for strike, but he sees his effort diverted behind for a corner.

11' Madrid exert pressure down the right as Kroos lifts a cross towards Jovic in the box, but Atienza rises to head away from the forward before the home side win a free-kick for a foul by Vinicius.

8' Madrid have the perfect start to the game and can now play the contest at their own pace.

T. Kroos

Assist

6' Kroos plays a one-two with Carvajal before placing a low ball across the face of goal that allows Varane to score.

R. Varane

Goal

6' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! VARANE CONVERTS AT THE BACK POST!!! 1-0 MADRID!!! The visitors take the lead as Varane reacts to steer home a cross from Kroos. The German takes a corner quickly and plays a one-two with Carvajal to break into the right inside channel. He then fires a low ball across the face of goal that evades Vinicius, but travels to Varane to slide his strike home.

5' The home side clear behind, but the threat remains from a Madrid corner.

5' Vinicius surges down the left and draws a foul from Delmas to win a free-kick for the visitors.

4' Grippo takes a loose touch at the back and it almost allows James to pounce, but the defender recovers to knock it back to Raton.

2' Kroos loses his footing and allows Pereira to run at the Madrid defence. However, he goes for a cross-field pass towards Soro, which sees Carvajal get ahead of the winger to nod back to Areola.

1' We're underway in this Copa del Rey clash.

The players are out on the pitch so we should be underway shortly.

Madrid have also made eight changes to their side from their win over Valladolid last time out. Ramos, Varane and Kroos remain in the team from the weekend. Areola, Carvajal and Marcelo come into the side to shore up the backline. Valverde and James start in the midfield. It's all change up front as Jovic leads the line supported by Vinicius and Vazquez.

Zaragoza have made eight changes to their side from their win over Numancia at the weekend. Only Atienza, Eguaras and Soro retan their places in the line-up. Raton comes into the side between the sticks, while Delmas, Grippo and Clemente come into the back four. Kagawa and Igbekeme start in the middle of the park, while Pereira and Linares lead the line.

REAL MADRID SUBS: Nacho Fernandez, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois, Brahim Diaz, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo Silva.

REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Alphonse Areola; Daniel Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, James Rodriguez; Lucas Vazquez, Luka Jovic, Vinicius Junior.

REAL ZARAGOZA SUBS: Cristian Alvarez, Carlos Vigaray, Javier Puado, Raul Guti, Alex Blanco, Carlos Nieto, Luis Suarez.

REAL ZARAGOZA (4-4-2): Alvaro Raton; Julian Delmas, Simone Grippo, Pichu Atienza, Enrique Clemente; Shinji Kagawa, James Igbekeme, Inigo Eguaras, Alberto Soro; Andre Pereira, Miguel Linares.

Madrid are also on a roll at the moment, boasting a 19-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Zinedine Zidane's men have won their last six matches on the bounce, including their win over Unionistas de Salamanca in the last round of the Copa del Rey on the road. Los Blancos have not been perfect of late, but they've always managed to produce the moments of magic when they've needed to - notably Nacho Fernandez's winner in their triumph over Real Valladolid last time out. Madrid will be eyeing another win this evening to ease their way into the next phase.

Zaragoza enter the contest on the back of a five-match winning run, handing them momentum to take on Los Blancos this evening. The club have moved into contention for promotion from the Segunda Division courtesy of their surge in form, while they dispatched Mallorca in the last round of the Copa del Rey by a 3-1 scoreline to advance to the round of 16. Víctor Fernandez and his team will know only a complete performance will be good enough tonight.

Good evening and welcome to the Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash between Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid at La Romareda.

Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid Live Commentary, 1/29/20

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