In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Vinicius scored late in extra time to win 3-1 over Atletico Madrid.
Vincius Junior’s day began with what appeared to be a hate crime against him.
The Brazilian forward scored the winning goal to help Real Madrid advance to the Copa del Rey semifinals.
In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Vinicius scored late in extra time to win 3-1 over Atletico Madrid.
A dummy of Vincius and a banner with the words “Madrid hates Real” were hanged from a highway bridge early on Thursday.
Causing havoc in the buildup of the game between the two fierce rivals. This was condemned by clubs and soccer officials all over the country.
Vincius tweeted following the match, “Everyone knows there is only one Madrid.” He wrote in another post, ” Madrid is Vini’s favorite city.
Vinicius completed an intense, back-and-forth match after being the target of racist chants from Atletico fans earlier this season.
Karim Benzema scored his seventh goal in seven games since the World Cup to give Madrid the lead in the first half of extra time after the game finished 1-1 in regulation.
Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, stated, “There wasn’t anything different for Vincius; he was focused on the match, and he wanted to play.” Although regrettable, the incident occurred in the past.
The few hundred Atletico fans who had tickets to the game celebrated early as Alvaro Morata gave their team the lead in the first half, creating a tranquil atmosphere inside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
However, hosts substitute Rodrygo scored a late equalizer to force extra time. After defender Stefan Savic was dismissed with a second yellow card while the game was still tied at 1-1, Atletico spent the majority of extra time with 10 men.
For the first time since 2016, Atletico Madrid attempted to defeat them at home. After last winning the Copa in 2013-14, Madrid is back in the semifinals for the first time since 2018-19. Last season, Athletic Bilbao defeated it in the quarterfinals.
For the first time since 2016–17, Atletico was aiming to reach the last four. In the final against Madrid in 2012-13, it won its last Copa title.
Atletico Madrid, which finished fourth in the Spanish league and was eliminated from the Champions League and Europa League, only had a chance of winning the Copa in his season.
Diego Simeone, the coach of Atlético, voiced his displeasure with the referees while expressing pride in the performance of his team.
He stated, “We gave everything we had.” We are proud of the team’s effort to defeat Madrid by making it difficult for them.
Atletico Madrid’s defense was difficult to break through early on, and the visitors were a constant threat on counterattacks.
After a cross from the right by Nahuel Molina in the 19th, Morata, a former player for Madrid, scored from close range to give Atletico the lead.
In the 79th minute, Rodrygo scored with a skillful run that got him past four Atletico players before he shot from inside the area past goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
In the 104th minute, Benzema scored with a low shot from inside the area after being forced to leave France’s World Cup squad due to an injury suffered just before the tournament. Vincius scored on a breakaway just before the end, starting his scoring run near midfield.
David Alaba, a defender, was reinstated in Madrid’s squad, but Ancelotti was without Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eden Hazard.
Athletic Bilbao advanced to the semifinals for the fourth season in a row by defeating Valencia 3-1.
The Basque Country Club scored goals from Iker Muniain, Nico Williams, and Mikel Vesga for the team.
Which finished second in both 2020 and 2021 but lost to Valencia in the semifinals of last season.
Valencia, lost to Real Betis in the final last year. Has struggled recently, winning only one of its last five games across all competitions.
Gennaro Gattuso’s team had equalized with an own goal from Athletic defender Scar de Marcos.
Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1-0 on Wednesday.
Osasuna beat Sevilla 2-1 after extra time to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2005. Monday will see the draw for the semifinals.