Real Madrid Thump Barcelona 4-0 to reach first Spanish Cup Final in nine years

Madrid had earlier fallen to a first-leg 1-0 defeat on March 2 at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to an Eder Militao own goal but Los Blancos looked a completely different side on rival ground as they found the back of the net a quartet of times. It was a delightful way to keep up with a fine run of form as Madrid had earlier thrashed Valladolid 6-0 in the league on Sunday evening. Barcelona themselves were coming from a 4-0 party in the La Liga in which Elche were victims but just couldn"t match the energy of their rivals tonight.

La Casablanca had the ball in Barcelona"s net courtesy of a first-half Vinicius Jr strike and a sensational, opportunistic hat-trick from Karim Benzema to round up the score on aggregate at 4-1.

With Vinicius putting the visitors on level terms just at the dearth of first-half, Madrid doubled the lead in the 50th minute. Modric worked the ball beautifully through an open Barcelona defence, played a neat pass to Benzema. The striker advanced a bit and it beautifully behind Stergen"s reach. It was just too direct, there was no pressure from Barcelona. The defending was poor and they could have done better out there.

Very soon, Madrid got another opportunity via a penalty and Karim Benzema once again stepped up slotting it past the Barcelona goalie. At this time, the Catalans" had nothing to fight for and the win was surely going to their arch-rivals. Benzema would then complete his 42nd El Clasico outing by wrapping up the night with his hat-trick in the 80th minute courtesy of a Vinicius Jr assist.

Barcelona vs Madrid: Madrid being more clinical than Barcelona and Blaugranas" woes.

Madrid were not an highly exceptional team. They were simply able to utilize their chances more than their opponents did. They were more accurate and precise going forward while the Blaugranas couldn"t connect most of the time. Lewandowski and Rafinha were nowhere to be found on the pitch and the full-backs, Balde and Araujo were more efficient in attack than the forwards.

It was quite evident that Madrid were not so much of a better side on the night. They were simply opportuned thanks to a devastatingly disappointing Barcelona showing. Typical of Barcelona to be dominant in possession, the Blaugranas only held six percent more of the ball than their opponents, Madrid with 53 percent in total compared to Madrid"s 47 percent. Their midfield was all over the place but the attack was even worse with the forwards failing to make any form of impact.

Barcelona vs Madrid: Injury crisis plays an integral role

While Xavi Hernandez would be terribly upset about his team"s capitulation tonight when it mattered the most, Barcelona would particularly regret the absence of their star players. Frenkie De Jong, Ousmane Dembele, Andreas Christensen and Pedri Gonzalez couldn"t make the starting line-up or even the squad due to injury hassles.

Pedri has been out since the first leg clash Europa league play-off clash against Manchester United and it"s safe to say the midfield has not remained the same without the momentous presence of the attacking midfielder.

And as if that was not hard enough a blow, Frenkie De Jong pulled up injured shortly before the spring International break. Competing with a team of Madrid"s status without two key, highly pivotal midfielders could be a real death sentence, a highly suicidal job and that played out exactly tonight. While Barcelona often lacked shape and co-ordination in the centre with a frantic atmosphere, Madrid were well organized thanks to the likes of Modric and Valverde. Los Blancos were able to generate those pockets of space through which they penetrated the Barcelona defence.

Or perhaps Dembele would have given joy down the flanks had he been in the game, with Rafinha really struggling to live up to expectations for a match as big as the El Clasico.

Barcelona vs Madrid: Defensive mishaps and tactical flaws

While Christensen"s absence was greatly felt in the centre-back, Xavi"s playing of Alonso in that exact position and Ronald Araujo out wide contributed to the misery piled upon his team. Araujo did a decent job, not so perfect in keeping eyes on Vinicius Jr and perhaps even a few chances driving the ball up the pitch. But the Uruguayan was more needed at the heart of the defence, a region Madrid highly terrorized and through which many of their attacks came from.

Marcus Alonso was no match for the opposition. His defending was often sloppy and as a matter of fact, a poor pass from him almost cost his club an additional goal had it not been for Rodrygo arriving late to latch onto Benzema"s ball. It perhaps would have been a safer bet to play Araujo in his conventional centre position while Alonso played out wide.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: What next?

Madrid would face Osasuna in the final of the Copa Del Ray where they are set to triumph in the competition for the first time since 2014 when they beat Barcelona 2-1 in the finals. For the Blaugranas, they turn the attention to the league where they have a 12-point gap at the top of the table. From the look of things and with Madrid"s relatively busy schedule, the Catalans should clinch the domestic trophy. Los Blancos also have their gaze fixed on the UEFA Champions League where they are set to slug it out with Chelsea next week.

Main image credit Embed from Getty Images