Real Madrid 3-1 Atletico Madrid (aet): Superb Rodrygo goal sparks Copa del Rey turnaround

By Sports Desk January 26, 2023

Real Madrid needed extra-time to seal a dramatic Copa del Rey comeback as they downed rivals Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 quarter-final victory on Thursday.

Los Blancos were heading out at the Santiago Bernabeu after their former striker Alvaro Morata had struck in the first half for Atletico.

But Rodrygo's fantastic solo effort forced an extra half-hour in the Spanish capital, before Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior completed the turnaround for the hosts.

Carlo Ancelotti's side join Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna in the semi-finals, but Diego Simeone's visitors will rue missing out on the last four.

Despite an early command of the game, it was the hosts who went behind in the 19th minute when Morata tapped in Nahuel Molina's square ball from close-range.

Madrid blew a big chance to level matters on the half-hour mark when Eder Militao was caught off-guard by a free-kick delivery and botched a simple header.

Matters went from bad to worse for Ancelotti's side too after they were forced into a substitution before the break thanks to an injury to Ferland Mendy.

Los Blancos were forced to wait for much of the game to find their response, but their patience paid off in the 79th minute when Rodrygo skipped past four Atletico players before prodding past Jan Oblak at his near post.

Tempers started to fray between both rivals in extra-time, with Stefan Savic dismissed in the 99th minute after two yellow cards in quick succession.

Gifted a man advantage, Madrid seized the chance with Benzema able to guide Vinicius' rushed effort in past Oblak, before the Brazilian signed off the game with a finish of his own, tucked away after a fine run in off the left wing.

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    After giving his silver medal to a fan in the crowd, AC Roma boss Jose Mourinho thanked his players despite losing in penalties to Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League final in Budapest.

    Mourinho was set to become the most decorated European manager in history with six trophies and after a Paulo Dybala goal put them in front it was looking likely.

    Roma went on to concede an own goal and lost 4-1 in penalties when Roger Ibanez and Gianluca Mancini missed from the spot.

    Mourinho told ITV Italy after the game: “I’ve won five finals and I lost this one, but I’m coming back home proud again. The boys gave everything.

    “We felt pressure against a team that has more talent than us. We lost a game but not dignity.

    “I’ve never gone home prouder than today, even when I won. We had also worked hard on penalties but… we missed two – but all together, not only the penalty takers.”

    Mourinho said while his players are sad, his side deserve to go home with their heads held high.

    “We are all attached to the shirt, to our nature. We take things seriously and humbly, we work a lot,” Mourinho said.

    “Everyone reacts in a different way: one cries, the other doesn’t.

    “Congratulations to Sevilla, but also congratulations to my players. The boys must go home peacefully, with pride for having done what they have done. These are my boys from Budapest.”

    Footage after the game showed Mourinho handing his medal to a child in the stands.

    Meanwhile, Sevilla forward Erik Lamela told BT Sport it was a really tough game as Sevilla won their seventh Europa League title.

    “This is amazing, I can’t ask for more, this feeling is unbelievable,” he said.

    “Really tough game, not an easy game to play, we were not feeling in our best way because they defended well and it was difficult to find the spaces and create situations but this team fought it out and tonight we’re going to enjoy it.”

  • Gonzalo Montiel the penalty hero again as Sevilla win seventh Europa League Gonzalo Montiel the penalty hero again as Sevilla win seventh Europa League

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    Mourinho was on track to become the most decorated European manager in history with six trophies when Paulo Dybala defied an ankle injury he has been carrying for the last month to put the Serie A side in front in a scrappy affair in Budapest.

    Gianluca Mancini, who had provided the assist for Dybala, put into his own net as the game finished 1-1 after 120 minutes then missed from the spot, as did Roger Ibanez, before Montiel scored the decisive penalty to secure a 4-1 shootout win for the Spaniards.

    The Argentinian, who scored the winning spot-kick in last year’s World Cup final, initially missed from 12 yards but Rui Patricio coming off his line before the ball was struck meant a retake, and Montiel this time made no mistake.

    While Sevilla claimed a record-extending seventh Europa League crown and qualify for next season’s Champions League, they had to do it in ugly fashion, with regular stoppages in play and players and coaches on both sides spoken to or warned by referee Anthony Taylor and fourth official Michael Oliver.

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    The English referee had his first major decision when checking VAR after his countryman Tammy Abraham took a blow to the head but Nemanja Gudelj winning the ball meant no penalty was given.

    The game came to life when Ivan Rakitic was dispossessed in his own half and while Sevilla’s defence seemed to anticipate a foul being given, Mancini took advantage and his through ball allowed Dybala to slot across Bono in the 35th minute. Amid howls of protest from Sevilla, substitute Rafa Mir was booked.

    Lorenzo Pellegrini was cautioned for diving in the area and the constant breaks in play meant seven minutes were tagged on at the end of the first half, when Rakitic’s thundering effort from 25 yards thudded low off Patricio’s left-hand post.

    Erik Lamela and Suso were brought on after the interval as Sevilla flew out of the traps, penning back Roma in their own half. The pressure told in the 55th minute as Mancini turned into his own net as he sought to stop Lucas Ocampos from latching on to Jesus Navas’ devilish whipped cross.

    Sevilla were shown plenty of the ball but Roma almost scored again as a free-kick from Dybala, in his last involvement of the night before he was substituted, saw Abraham stab at Bono and amid a goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to an off-balance Ibanez, who sliced the rebound wide.

    Ibanez’s night might have gotten worse when, with a quarter of an hour left, Ocampos went over the Roma defender’s trailing leg and Taylor pointed to the spot. With Mourinho and his coaches incandescent on the touchline, Taylor rescinded the penalty after a VAR check highlighted minimal, if any, contact.

    It was Roma’s turn to appeal for a penalty soon after when the ball hit Fernando’s arm by his side. Taylor was unconvinced and then, not for the first time, headed to the Roma bench brandishing his yellow card.

    While the names piled up in the official’s notebook, Roma almost had the last laugh but Andrea Belotti, on for Abraham, miscued a volley after a cute free-kick over the wall.

    Fernando flashed wide as the match went to an additional 30 minutes, where both teams seemed reluctant to gamble.

    Mourinho was booked for one of several confrontations with fourth official Oliver but after little action, Chris Smalling almost won it at the death but his looping header in the 10th minute of time added on from a corner came back off the bar.

    The shootout started with Ocampos and Lamela netting either side of Bryan Cristante doing so for Roma but it was first blood to Sevilla when Mancini’s thunderous effort came back off a diving Bono’s legs.

    Ibanez then saw his effort come back off the post and while Patricio seemed to have given Roma a glimmer when tipping Montiel’s spot-kick on to the post, the Portuguese’s encroachment gave the LaLiga player another chance he did not spurn.

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    “We’ve got to believe, I’ve said that to the lads all week. We’ve got to believe we can pull off a miracle.

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    “We know it’s a massive challenge in front of us, but we’ve got to have belief in ourselves.

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    “I don’t think you can look too much into that,” he added.

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    “It’s not going to make much difference to us, we know how hard the challenge is going to be.”

    Inverness will have gone more than four weeks without a competitive game by the time they run out at Hampden on Saturday.

    Although Welsh admits it is “not ideal” in terms of maintaining match sharpness, he feels the month-long break has at least allowed them to banish any lingering disappointment after they lost to Ayr in their final Championship fixture and missed out on the play-offs.

    “It was good to get some time to get over what happened in the last game of the season,” he said.

    “That was a difficult night and we were all very disappointed to miss out on the play-offs so the time away was good for us to clear our minds and get over it.

    “We didn’t want that lingering going into this massive game.

    “We’ve come back in refreshed and excited and we’re looking forward to it.”

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