Cristiano Ronaldo crushed Barcelona’s hopes of a treble with two goals in a 3-1 away win for Real Madrid in their Copa del Rey last four, second-leg match on Tuesday to set up a showdown against Atletico Madrid or Sevilla in May’s final.
The Portuguese forward became the first player to score in six straight “Clasicos” away from home when he picked himself up after being felled by Gerard Pique in the 13th minute and struck a powerful low penalty into the corner past Jose Manuel Pinto.
Barca dominated possession, but rarely threatened and Ronaldo doubled the lead when he collected a rebound from a 57th-minute Angel Di Maria effort and stroked the ball calmly into the net with Pinto stranded.
Photo: AFP
Ronaldo has been criticized in the past for failing to perform in important games, but it was his 12th goal in 18 appearances against Barca since joining Real in 2009 and his second double in as many games at a stunned Camp Nou.
Real rubbed salt in the wounds of their archrivals when Raphael Varane, who scored the equalizer in the 1-1 draw in last month’s first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, rose above the defense at a 68th-minute corner and sent a header arrowing into the net off the crossbar.
Jordi Alba pulled one back in the 89th minute, but it was far too late for Barca, who conceded three goals to Real at home for the first time since a 3-3 draw in March 2007.
They had not lost to the Madrid club by two goals at their giant arena in more than a decade.
“We are coming away with the feeling that we have done a very good job,” Real captain Sergio Ramos said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Canal Plus after his side went through 4-2 on aggregate.
“You always suffer against Barcelona because they look for the spaces and they make things hard for you, but we fought very well,” the Spain international said.
“I have always said that he [Ronaldo] is the best in the world and he always does the business in these games,” he added.
Real’s thumping victory will give them a huge boost ahead of Saturday’s La Liga clash at home to Barca and Tuesday’s Champions League last-16, second-leg match against Manchester United.
Barca, who are 12 points clear of Atletico at the top of La Liga, but facing Champions League elimination after losing 2-0 to AC Milan last week, need to pick themselves up for Saturday’s trip to the Bernabeu and the return leg at home in Milan on March 12.
With Real four points behind Atletico in third place in La Liga, Ronaldo acknowledged their hopes of a second successive title were slim and said they would be concentrating on the Copa and the Champions League.
“It was a very good match for us and we played very well from the first minute to the 90th minute, very serious and with a great attitude,” he told Canal Plus.
“We were the better team and scoring three goals at the Nou Camp is extremely difficult,” Ronaldo said.
“We have played very well recently in the games here and we are playing better here than at home. The league is difficult as Barca have a big lead and we have to focus on the Cup and the Champions League now,” he added.
Barca’s World Player of the Year Lionel Messi went close early in the first half with a snap shot and sent a low free-kick whistling just past the post, but otherwise cut a forlorn figure and barely mustered a shot on goal.
It was another lackluster Barca performance in both defense and attack, and the 12th game in a row in all competitions where they have failed to keep a clean sheet.
Real are through to the final for a record 38th time. They have won the Copa del Rey 18 times.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-che on Friday made history for the Boston Red Sox’s Triple A affiliate, hitting the Worcester Red Sox’s first cycle, while netting two runs, as they beat fellow Taiwan teammate Stuart Fairchild’s Columbus Clippers. The 24-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect went 4-4, completing a full cycle, starting with a triple in the second inning off Ryan Webb in the WooSox’s 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians’ Triple A affiliate. He scored in the same inning after teammate Vinny Capra, a fellow former Pirate, grounded out. The Pingtung County native followed that up with a walk in the third, an
RSS