Barcelona made a comeback after suffering consecutive defeats by defeating Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
An Eder Militao‘s own goal separated the sides at the Bernabeu despite the hosts having more possession and chances.
The victory against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final comes as a relief to Barcelona, who had suffered defeats against Manchester United in the Europa League and Almeria in La Liga.
Xavi’s side defended deep after taking the lead and their discipline earned a narrow advantage to take into the second leg at the Nou Camp on April 5.
Although Barcelona is leading the La Liga table, Xavi’s team might have felt vulnerable before the game due to their recent elimination from Europe and a surprising loss in the league over the weekend.
The former midfielder (Xavi) made five changes to his starting team, including an entirely new back four.
The first noteworthy moment of the match was when Vinicius Jr threw Frenkie de Jong to the ground via a headlock. However, the away team managed to take the lead, and it occurred in comical circumstances.
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In Barca’s first game attack, Franck Kessie’s shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois but ricocheted back off Militao and rolled into the net.
His fellow centre-back Nacho attempted to clear the ball off the line but was unable to save his team-mate’s embarrassment.
It was initially ruled out for offside but stood after the video assistant referee indicated that, while Raphinha had moved early, he was not interfering with play and Kessie was level.
Despite having possession, Madrid was unable to convert it into a meaningful advantage.
Certainly, Real appeared highly motivated from the start, perhaps with memories of a poor performance in January’s Super Cup defeat to their rivals still in their minds.
Madrid kept possession domination until the final whistle; however, they will need to overcome the deficit at the home of their fierce rivals to stop Barcelona from moving closer towards winning a domestic treble.
