Carlo Ancelotti’s men fought back from a first-leg defeat to knock out Barcelona and reach their first Copa del Rey final since 2014.
Carlo Ancelotti felt Real Madrid played the “perfect match” after a 4-0 thumping of Barcelona at Camp Nou secured their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 4-1 aggregate win.
Madrid faced an uphill task on the trip to the home of their Clasico rivals, who hold a 12-point lead over Ancelotti’s men at the top of LaLiga, facing a one-goal deficit after Eder Militao’s own goal gave Barca a 1-0 victory in the first leg. Bernabeu.
But Vinicius Junior leveled just before the break before Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick to lead Madrid to a superb triumph and book their place in the final against Osasuna on May 6.
Ancelotti was delighted with his side’s heroics in the second leg, telling reporters in his post-match press conference: “It was a complete game. When you win 4-0 here, it’s in every way.”
“We played an excellent match, the first goal changed the dynamic, we found more space in transitions.
“It was a bit difficult at first, but we handled it very well in the second half. We didn’t panic when we pressed and we knew how to use the gaps in transition.”
“We played a perfect game.
This season, Benzema has failed to match the form he won the Ballon d’Or in October, struggling with injuries and not enjoying the same scoring output.
However, the striker has netted back-to-back hat-tricks since the international break, taking his tally for the season to 25 from 31 games in all competitions.
Ancelotti believes the striker is a bit back to his best, saying: “He did a very good job in the [international] break, he found his optimal fitness and his quality is without a doubt the difference.
“He’s flipped a switch. He’s still one of the best players in the world without a doubt. If he’s fit, he’s one of the best.”
“He can win another Ballon d’Or because he is one of the best strikers in the world.”
