"The new era" - Real Madrid midfielder trolls Barcelona after 4-0 El Clasico thrashing at Camp Nou
Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has taken a dig at Barcelona following his side's massive victory over their arch-rivals.
Los Blancos thrashed the Blaugrana 4-0 at the Camp Nou in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday (April 5). That helped them overturn a 1-0 deficit from last month's first leg on their way to picking up their most convincing away win in El Clasico in recent memory.
Ceballos played only the five minutes of regulation plus added time, replacing Vinicius Junior. However, he was understandably pumped after the win and was recorded shouting on the way to the dressing room (via @MadridTotal on Twitter):
“La nueva era, la nueva era (The new era, the new era)!”
Dani Ceballos al salir del Camp Nou: “La nueva era, la nueva era”
ERES MI PADRE DANI, QUÉDATE! 🤣🤍 @DaniCeballos46 https://t.co/dUpt7d53yr
Fans quickly drew a connection to an incident that took place following Real Madrid's loss against Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana in January. The Blaugrana won 3-1 to lift the title and after the game, defender Ronald Araujo could be heard saying in the dressing room (via the Daily Mail):
“Empezo la nueva era (The new era is beginning)!”
Araujo's words were seemingly to indicate that his side were turning the tide around after multiple disappointing campaigns recently. However, Ceballos' response illustrated the equation between two of the fiercest rivals in the game following their fifth meeting of the season.
Real Madrid won the first game, a La Liga fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu 3-1 before Barcelona responded in the Supercopa. The Blaugrana then won 1-0 in Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal before emerging 2-1 victors in their return league game.
By winning on Wednesday, Los Blancos extracted some revenge after losing three Clasicosi in succession.
Karim Benzema hat-trick sinks Barcelona as Real Madrid return to Copa del Rey final after nine years
Barcelona and Real Madrid secured brilliant wins in La Liga last weekend, setting up a mouthwatering second leg in the Copa del Rey semifinals. While the Blaugrana thrashed Elche 4-0, Carlo Ancelotti's team hit six past Real Valladolid, with Karim Benzema scoring a seven-minute hat-trick.
Benzema was once again the star of the show on Wednesday. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner first set up Vinicius Junior on the stroke of half-time to bring the aggregate score to 1-1. He then scored a devastating hat-trick in the second half to give Los Blancos a comprehensive victory.
By beating Barcelona 4-1 on aggregate, Real Madrid made it into their first Copa del Rey final since the 2013-14 season. On that occasion, Gareth Bale scored a late wonder goal to give them a 2-1 win over the Blaugrana.
This time around, Ancelotti, who was their manager during their 2014 win as well, will see his side take on CA Osasuna, who beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal.