If you are not a member yet, you can sign up here

Copa del Rey

Semi final, first leg

Barcelona 2 – Real Sociedad 0

Barcelona: Pinto; Dani Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Cesc Fàbregas (Tello 84’); Alexis (Iniesta 73’), Messi, Pedro. 4-3-3.
Real: Zubikarai; Zaldúa, Mikel González (Carlos Martínez 18’), Ansotegi, Iñigo Martínez, José Angel; Zurutuza, Gaztañaga, Elustondo; Griezmann (Seferovic 82’); Carlos Vela (Canales 72’). 5-3-2.

Goals:
1-0. 43. Busquets. Turned shot inside far post after Pedro volley fell to him.
2-0. 59. Zubikarai (own goal). Deflected ball in to net from Elustondo clearance.

Yellow cards: Busquets 25’, Mascherano 35’, Carlos Vela 39’, Iñigo Martínez 44’, Elustondo 57’, Gaztañaga 62’, Messi 73’, Zubikarai 85’, Zaldúa 88’ / red cards: Iñigo Martínez 44’.

Barcelona won 2-0 against Real Sociedad in their semi-final first leg, and with Real Madrid also winning comfortably, a “clásico” cup final appears to be looming. Other than an early chance by Griezmann which Pinto dealt with easily, almost all of the play was in the visitors’ half, Fàbregas and Alexis failing to convert a couple of good chances, and Messi bringing a point blank save out of Zubikarai and then rattling the bar with a free kick. Mascherano was lucky however to be let off a penalty appeal and a second booking when he held back Carlos Vela as he advanced on goal, but just a minute later Busquets opened the scoring for the locals, turning the ball inside the post after Pedro’s attempted volley fell to him. It was too much for Iñigo Martínez, who got himself sent off before the break for insulting the referee, and the killer blow for Real came a few minutes in to the second half after a shot by Alexis came back off the post, Elustondo’s wild clearance hitting his own goalkeeper before bouncing comically in to the net. Pedro, Xavi and Messi in particular all brought good saves out of Zubikarai after that, and Dani Alves, Iniesta and Pedro fired shots just wide of the mark, but although they couldn’t add to the scoreline, they had probably done enough already to take their team in to yet another cup final.