MADRID — Rodrygo, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior scored as Real Madrid came back from a goal down to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 after extra-time in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
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Atletico went ahead in the 19th minute when captain Koke’s pass found full-back Nahuel Molina, whose cross left Alvaro Morata with a straightforward finish. Substitute Rodrygo levelled in the second half, beating three Atletico defenders before slotting past Jan Oblak. Stefan Savic was sent off in extra-time to leave Atletico down to ten men, before Benzema put the home side ahead and Vinicius added a late third to put Madrid into the semifinals alongside Barcelona, Osasuna and Athletic Club.
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Rapid reaction
1. Real break Atletico hearts in another Bernabeu comeback
It’s been a tough season for Atletico Madrid. Their Champions League campaign was a disaster — finishing bottom of their group to miss out on even Europa League football — and their target in LaLiga is simply a top-four finish. Now their last chance of a trophy, the Copa del Rey, has been taken away from them, by their local rivals, in heartbreaking fashion.
Atletico led for an hour at the Bernabeu, thanks to Morata’s goal, but if we’ve learned anything from watching Real Madrid in cup competitions over the last year, it’s that they never know when they’re beaten. From the moment Rodrygo’s spectacular effort hit the back of the net for the equaliser, you knew there would only be one winner.
Benzema’s extra-time strike — and Vinicius’ icing-on-the-cake third — came as no surprise at all. And while the drama didn’t quite match last year’s Champions League comeback wins over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City, it shared some of the same DNA: a resolute refusal to accept defeat, and goal scorers Rodrygo, Benzema and Vinicius stepping up with key moments of individual quality.
Madrid derbies are rarely won easily. Since Diego Simeone took over at Atletico more than a decade ago, they’ve been intense, tight affairs. In fact, the past six meetings between these two clubs in one-off games — the 2013 Copa del Rey final, the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals, the 2018 UEFA Super Cup final, the 2020 Spanish Supercopa final and now here — have all gone to extra-time. But while there are exceptions — the 2013 Copa final was won by Atletico, as was the 2018 Super Cup — those clashes have tended to go Real Madrid’s way.
Here, the tiny pocket of Atletico fans up in the corner of the Bernabeu had to endure another long, ultimately fruitless evening at this stadium, while Madrid can look forward to the semifinal draw and the chance of another trophy.
2. Vinicius gives everything on the pitch after facing more racism off it
The spotlight here was always going to be on Vinicius after the Real Madrid forward was subjected to yet another sickening racist incident in the build-up to this derby. The condemnation for whoever was responsible for hanging a dummy wearing the forward’s shirt from a bridge near Madrid’s training ground was swift — Real Madrid, Atletico, LaLiga and the Spanish football federation all issued statements on Thursday — and the Bernabeu crowd were quick to show their support too, singing Vinicius’ name before kickoff.
– Prior to Thursday, Madrid had not conceded first in a league-play derbi since 1949.
– Rodrygo has two goals in his past ten appearances for Madrid in all competitions, but both were either game-winning or game-tying goals.
– Real Madrid’s last comeback win over Atletico was the 2014 Champions League final.
Up next
Real Madrid: Madrid will return to LaLiga action on Sunday, when they welcome Real Sociedad to the Bernabeu (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+).
Atletico Madrid: Atleti travel to Pamplona on Sunday for a LaLiga meeting against Osasuna (10 a.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+).
