In the bitter cup debacle, Barcelona fans call for Lionel Messi back
Heads down at FC Barcelona after the bitter outcome of the Clásico
What: AFP/LLUIS GENE
FC Barcelona misses the final of the Spanish Cup despite beating Real Madrid in the first leg. In El Clásico it sets a painful defeat for the Catalans. The fans are demanding the return of their hero.
Real Madrid has reached the final of the Spanish Cup after a furious 4-0 (1-0) in the Clásico at FC Barcelona. In the second leg of the Copa del Rey, striker Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick for Real (50 minutes, 58 minutes/penalty kick, 80 minutes) after Vinicius Junior (45+1) practically put the visitors ahead with the half-time whistle. Barcelona’s Germany international goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen was powerless in all four goals conceded. The Catalans won the first leg of the semifinals 1-0 at Real Madrid.
Real will face league rivals CA Osasuna in the final on May 6 in Seville. A 1-1 after extra time at Athletic Bilbao was enough for the ninth-placed Primera División on Tuesday to advance to the final after a 1-0 win in the first leg.
In the eagerly awaited Clásico, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti put 2014 world champion Toni Kroos in his starting line-up, while Antonio Rüdiger sat on the bench. But even without the German international, the guests’ defense at the Camp Nou was largely secure.
Even before anything noteworthy happened on the pitch, the Barça fans caused a stir. Loud shouts of Messi could be heard at FC Barcelona’s home ground after ten minutes. The fans kept chanting “Messi, Messi.” The supporters want a return of their hero, who migrated to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
And it doesn’t seem that far-fetched at the moment. Sky had only reported on Tuesday afternoon that Messi had decided against extending his contract with the French, which expired at the end of the season. According to the French newspaper L’Équipe, Messi is said to have disagreed with a possible salary cut in Paris.
Real uses opportunities consistently
In the duel on Wednesday evening, however, he could not help Barcelona. The two arch-rivals only had great chances in injury time in the first half. While Barça’s striker Robert Lewandowski’s attempt failed because of Real’s goalkeeper Courtois’ strong reflex, Vinicius Junior’s direct counterattack made it 1-0.
After the change, Real took advantage of his chances, especially Benzema. First, he unerringly put a low shot into the net after fine preliminary work by Luka Modrić, shortly afterwards he safely converted a penalty kick inflicted on Vinicius Junior to make it 3-0.
The man of the evening: Karim Benzema
Which: dpa/Joan Monfort
The Catalans coached by club legend Xavi never recovered from this significant deficit. It was a heated duel until the end, but the hosts lacked offensive precision. Benzema put the final point after a counterattack, this time the template provider was called Vinicius Junior.