Real Madrid 0-3 FC Barcelona: Hits and Flops | Copa del Rey
Barcelona cantered to a sixth consecutive Copa del Rey final after brushing Real Madrid aside with three goals.
Don't let the scoreline mislead you, the Merengues were the far better side in the first half, cutting open their mighty visitors and creating numerous gilt-edged chances. However, a lack of cutting edge in the final third ensured the match is on level terms at the break.
Luis Suarez then broke the deadlock five minutes in the second stanza with a cool out-of-the-boot finish, before Raphael Varane turned Ousmane Dembele's cross into his own net to double the cushion.
Real Madrid's night went from bad to worse when Casemiro clipped the Uruguayan inside the area, and the latter nonchalantly chipped a panenka to put the tie to bed.
The Blaugrana were far from their best, but made the difference by taking their chances rather than fluffing their lines like the hosts. Here are the hits and flops from the match:
#1 Hit: Luis Suarez
The Barcelona No.9 has had better Clasicos in the past. But why he still qualifies as a hit today is because of the top-drawer quality of both his goals on the night.
Following a relatively quieter opening half, Luis Suarez sprung inside the area and latched on to Dembele's pass to produce a finish like a pure poacher, arrowing it into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. And even though Varane claimed the second goal as the Frenchman pushed the ball over the line before Suarez would, the latter bagged a brace with a brilliant penalty.
Not only did he send Keylor Navas the wrong way, but also executed a wowzer of a panenka by clinically looping it into the back of the net. And having scored a hat-trick earlier in the season, his double makes it five against Los Blancos in this campaign, and 11 overall in 14 Clasicos.
Suarez lives for games like this.
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