Real Madrid 4–4 Real Sociedad (5–4 Agg) Player Ratings: Los Blancos Toil Hard to Reach the Copa Del Rey Finals in a Thrilling Encounter

A dramatic second leg of the semi-final of the Copa del Rey saw Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 5-4 on aggregate to reach the final. It was a goal-scoring fest with Endrick, Bellingham, Tchouameni, and Rudiger getting on to the scoresheet for the visitors; Barrenetxea, Alaba’s own goal, and a brace from Oyarzabal for the visitors. Real Madrid will meet the winner of Atletico Madrid vs FC Barcelona in the final on 26th April.

Real Madrid decided to start with an all-Brazilian frontline of Vinicius, Rodrygo and Endrick, with Mbappe seated on the bench. The visiting Real Sociedad on the other hand, opt for five changes from their last time out, primarily at the backline, seeing three changes.

As expected, it was the hosts who got off to a dominating start, consistently testing the goalkeeper. But, to everyone’s surprise, it was Real Sociedad who took the lead as Zubimendi clipped over a great ball from the centre, which Marin headed forward to Barrenetxea, who finished off with ease.

Despite conceding the goal, Real Madrid continued to lay the pressure on the visitors and were rewarded for it as Vinicius set up Endrick with a delicious outside-the-boot pass, which the young Brazilian sumptuously dinked over Remiro to restore the lead. With the roaring Bernabeu around them, Real Madrid comfortably finished the half with a one-goal lead in the tie.

While Los Blancos continued their dominance in possession, La Real looked a little more active in their pressing and played with more intent compared to first half. As a result, they rightfully scored as Marin slid it between the feet of Alaba to level the aggregate score. Real Sociedad continued the dominance and flipped thhe lead as Oyarzabal took the shot which deflected off Alaba again into the back of the net.

Unfortunately, the joy did not last long as Vinicius and Bellingham combined excellently, with the latter finishing off an excellent cross from the former, thus levelling the tie again. Minutes later, Real Madrid took the lead again, as Rodrygo delivered an inch-perfect cross from the corner to Tchouameni, who finished it off with a towering header.

There was another twist in the tale as to everyone’s surprise, La Real scored again, this time thanks to a laser-like precise cross from Sergio Gomez to find Oyarzabal, who headed the ball in. While Bellingham tried to find the winner again, Remiro made a heroic save to deny him, pushing the game to added time.

The intensity of the game took a nosedive during the added time as a majority of the players looked gassed. Despite that, Real Madrid tried to find some gaps and score the winner, but to no avail. While Olasagasti’s disgraceful challenge on Vinicius, for which he was fortunate not to get sent off, got a huge roar from the Bernabeu, all was forgotten as Antonio Rudiger leaped to find the header to score the winner for his side. Real Madrid, this time managed the remaining time cleverly, leaving the pitch as winners.

Real Madrid will invite Valencia to their home for the La Liga fixture, whereas Real Sociedad will travel to play against Las Palmas.

Here are the Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad player ratings.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

GK- Andriy Lunin – 5.5/10

While he could have done better to save the opening goal, outside of that, he was largely untested and barely had any meaningful touches.

LB- Eduardo Camavinga – 7/10

He was excellent defensively and was imperious going forward, as he effortlessly glided past players on some occasions.

CB- David Alaba – 4/10

His physicality and leadership held together the backline as he bolstered the defence with some timely interceptions and crunching tackles. However, the own goal and the deflected goal in the second half took a big hit on the overall perception of his outing.

CB- Raul Asencio – 6/10

The young centreback practiced and showed maturity in multiple instances, smelling out the danger and responding as quickly as possible.

RB- Lucas Vazquez – 4.5/10

The defensive woes of the captain continued as he was the main culprit for the opening goal. However, he looked decent going forward in some occasions.

CM- Jude Bellingham – 8/10

Another excellent night out for him, as his dynamic movements, accompanied by his brilliance on the ball, made him a dangerous threat, capping the performance off with an excellent goal.

CM- Aurelin Tchouameni – 7/10

He provided balance to the midfield, connecting the defensive structure to the attackers, thus helping his side maintain the rhythm. He took his chance incredibly well to give his side the lead.

CM- Fede Valverde – 6.5/10

It was a signature Valverde performance, as he was the engine in midfield, stringing passes together and running tirelessly to cover for other players.

LW- Vinicius Jr – 9/10

He was toying with the opposition defence on some occasions and pulled off an insane, outside-of-the-boot through ball to deliver an assist to Endrick for their opening goal. He then took it upon himself to assist Bellingham for the second equaliser. He was one of the reasons why the attack just clicked tonight.

ST- Endrick – 8/10

He was a constant threat with his blistering pace, accompanied by his fantastic eye for goal. He tried an acrobatic attempt early in the game which did not come off. But he did a fantastic job to restore the lead in the tie with a fantastic chip over the keeper.

RW- Rodrygo – 7/10

While he did well to drive the ball forward and show some flashes of creativity, he failed to make a continuous impact. But, he stepped up during the time of necessity and provided an assist.

SUB- Kylian Mbappe – 6/10

The star attacker replaced Endrick in the second half to sustain the dominance. But he struggled to impose himself in the match, despite getting into some good attacking positions.

SUB- Luka Modric – 6/10

He replaced Lucas Vazquez which led Valverde to move on the right flank to add more energy to seal the game out and provide cover.

SUB- Fran Garcia – NA

The left back was put in to replace Camavinga and inject some energy to defend the left flank.

SUB- Antonio Rudiger – NA

The centreback replaced the struggling Alaba to secure the defense during the added time. He became the hero for his team, scoring the winning goal of the night.

SUB- Brahim Diaz – NA

The attacker was put in very late in the game to assist the team in finding a winner.

SUB- Arda Guler – NA

The Turkish young forward was subbed in very late in the game to assist the team in finding a winner. He did exactly that, providing the assist for the winning goal.

Manager- Carlo Ancelotti – 7/10

While his team were in complete control of the ball throughout the game, every time they thought the game was done, they conceded goals in some way or other. Fortunately, the individual brilliance of his star players bailed him out.

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Real Sociedad Player Ratings

GK- Alex Remiro – 7/10

Despite conceding thrice, he pulled off some excellent saves that denied sure-shot goal scoring chances and kept his side in the game.

LB- Aihen Munoz – 6.5/10

He gave his side defensive solidity alongside the forward runs along the flank. He provided crucial support on both sides of the pitch, making a solid impact overall

CB- Nayef Aguerd – NA

The center back got subbed off early in the first half itself as a result of injury to his right knee, thus failing to make an impact that he would have wanted.

CB- Igor Zubeldia – 6/10

He played a traditional defensive role with good aerial presence but there were some moments where he looked uncomfortable, despite pulling some unorthodox clearances.

RB- Jon Aramburu – 5.5/10

An inconsistent overall performance where he struggled to provide impetus going forward and was frail defensively. He even got a booking to his name in the second half too.

CM- Martin Zubimendi – 7/10

His reading of the game was excellent as he did well to cut off multiple passing lanes for the hosts, thereby regaining possession. He also played a key role in creating the opening goal of the night.

CM- Luka Sucic – 6/10

Other than the goal, he was the only one who attempted a shot, a long range effort on goal, during the first half.

CM- Pablo Marin- 8/10

He had a great presence of mind to find Barrenetxea to assist him for the opening goal. He then took it upon himself to force their second goal, equalising the tie once again.

LW- Ander Barrenetxea – 7/10

He was the only attacker who made a lasting impact as he did well to capitalize on a defensive lapse of Lucas Vazquez with a tidy finish.

ST- Mikel Oyarzabal – 8.5/10

The striker was anonymous for the majority of the game as he rarely received the ball since the service was abysmal. But, he was the one who changed the fate of their side, scoring the third and fourth goals of their night.

RW- Takefusa Kubo – 7/10

While there were moments where he took on their defenders successfully, he struggled to create any meaningful, goal-scoring chances. But, he improved massively in the second half and caused havoc.

SUB- Aritz Elustondo – 6/10

He came in early in the first half as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, but he did not have any notable moments.

SUB- Sergio Gómez – 7/10

The attack-minded player was put in as a replacement for the goal-scorer to chase the game. He did that exactly, providing an assist to Oyarzabal for their fourth goal.

SUB- Hamari Traoré – 5/10

The defender was put in to secure the tie but he was beaten by Vinicius so easily, as a result conceding a goal.

SUB- Jon Olasagasti – 5.5/10

The midfielder was put in late in the game to provide energy to the midfield to turn the match around and find the winner. He was fortunate he only got a yellow card for his tackle on Vinicius.

SUB- Arkaitz Mariezkurrena – NA

The defender was put in very late in the game to shore up the defense and seal the backline.

SUB- Orri Oskarsson – NA

The young Icelandic forward entered the pitch to provide energy and find the winning goal.

Manager- Imanol Alguacil – 7/10

While his side struggled in the first half, they did a fantastic job in the second half, but ultimately lost the match. The substitutions worked but some defensive frailities costed the tie.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.

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