Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández admitted that he would find it hard to sleep after Real Madrid outclassed his side in a 4‑0 Copa del Rey defeat at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. The Los Blancos advanced to the final with a 4‑1 aggregate win, eliminating the 31‑time record Spanish cup winners. Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring, and Karim Benzema added a hat‑trick in the second half of the second leg.
Xavi had led Barcelona to victory over Madrid in the previous three Clásicos, but the visitors stunned their rivals to set up a final against Osasuna on May 6. “We’re hurt today, yes. It will be hard to sleep, more so as the big Barca fan that I am,” Xavi told reporters. “I told the players this could happen; we had chances but went in at 1‑0. It’s a shame because we competed well in the first half and that was our moment. In the second half Madrid were better, sincerely; they were better physically, they pressed us high. There are no excuses.”
Despite the painful defeat, Barcelona can still clinch the Spanish title, holding a 12‑point advantage over Real Madrid in second place. The club also beat its rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. “If we win La Liga and the Super Cup it’s a good season,” Xavi added. “There are 11 finals left, and we have to keep competing.”
Comments are closed for this story.