Real Madrid overcome Real Sociedad to advance to the Spanish Cup final
Real Madrid successfully turned around a two-goal deficit against Real Sociedad to secure their spot in the Copa del Rey final, thanks to an extra-time header from substitute Antonio Ruediger that sealed a thrilling 4-4 draw on Tuesday, leading...
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Real Madrid successfully turned around a two-goal deficit against Real Sociedad to secure their spot in the Copa del Rey final, thanks to an extra-time header from substitute Antonio Ruediger that sealed a thrilling 4-4 draw on Tuesday, leading to a 5-4 aggregate victory.
The match began with a scare for Real Madrid as Ander Barrenetxea put Real Sociedad ahead in the 16th minute. However, Endrick equalized 15 minutes later with a beautifully executed dinked shot.
Having secured a 1-0 win in the first leg, Carlo Ancelotti’s team appeared to be in a strong position, needing only a draw to progress to the final. Yet, the situation shifted dramatically as Pablo Marin and Mikel Oyarzabal both found the net, with the latter's strike deflecting off David Alaba, granting Real Sociedad a two-goal lead by the 80th minute.
Real Madrid responded swiftly, with Jude Bellingham scoring a first-time shot from close range just two minutes later, followed by Aurelien Tchouameni heading in the equalizer from a corner taken by Rodrygo four minutes after that.
Unfortunately for Alaba, his struggles continued, as he failed to clear a corner, leaving Oyarzabal unmarked to head in Real Sociedad's fourth goal in the third minute of added time, pushing the match into extra time.
The decisive moment came when substitute Arda Guler delivered a corner that found Ruediger, who headed home to secure Real Madrid's place in the final.
Having won the Spanish Cup only once in the last decade, Real Madrid will face either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in an exciting final set to take place in Seville next month. Atletico managed a remarkable comeback to draw 4-4 with Barca ahead of the second leg on Wednesday in Madrid.
Reflecting on the match, Tchouameni expressed his mixed emotions to Real Madrid TV: “I don't know how to describe how I feel. Yes, we are happy, because we are going to play a final, but as far as the match is concerned, we can't be happy with that. We gave everything until the end, we knew we had top players on the bench, so we would have chances, but we have to play better than we did today."
Olivia Brown contributed to this article for TROIB News
The match began with a scare for Real Madrid as Ander Barrenetxea put Real Sociedad ahead in the 16th minute. However, Endrick equalized 15 minutes later with a beautifully executed dinked shot.
Having secured a 1-0 win in the first leg, Carlo Ancelotti’s team appeared to be in a strong position, needing only a draw to progress to the final. Yet, the situation shifted dramatically as Pablo Marin and Mikel Oyarzabal both found the net, with the latter's strike deflecting off David Alaba, granting Real Sociedad a two-goal lead by the 80th minute.
Real Madrid responded swiftly, with Jude Bellingham scoring a first-time shot from close range just two minutes later, followed by Aurelien Tchouameni heading in the equalizer from a corner taken by Rodrygo four minutes after that.
Unfortunately for Alaba, his struggles continued, as he failed to clear a corner, leaving Oyarzabal unmarked to head in Real Sociedad's fourth goal in the third minute of added time, pushing the match into extra time.
The decisive moment came when substitute Arda Guler delivered a corner that found Ruediger, who headed home to secure Real Madrid's place in the final.
Having won the Spanish Cup only once in the last decade, Real Madrid will face either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in an exciting final set to take place in Seville next month. Atletico managed a remarkable comeback to draw 4-4 with Barca ahead of the second leg on Wednesday in Madrid.
Reflecting on the match, Tchouameni expressed his mixed emotions to Real Madrid TV: “I don't know how to describe how I feel. Yes, we are happy, because we are going to play a final, but as far as the match is concerned, we can't be happy with that. We gave everything until the end, we knew we had top players on the bench, so we would have chances, but we have to play better than we did today."
Olivia Brown contributed to this article for TROIB News
