A depleted Barcelona upset Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday thanks to an own goal by Eder Militao.
The Catalans arrived having just suffered their second loss in a row and without a trio of crucial players due to injury: leading scorer Robert Lewandowski, key midfielder Pedri, and explosive winger Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona really beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu without Pedri, Dembele and Lewandowski 😱 pic.twitter.com/KUHEfUAeNg
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 2, 2023
After being eliminated from the Europa League by Manchester United the previous week and suffering their first-ever loss to LaLiga underdogs Almeria, Madrid fans were expecting blood, but they instead left deeply disappointed.
Militao deflected a rebound into his own goal after 26 minutes to split the teams and hand Barcelona the edge ahead of the second leg on 5 April at Camp Nou.
The hosts had more of the ball but failed to muster a shot on target, while Barcelona defended well.
“This was the game we wanted to play — not with this result, but it gives us confidence for the second leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
“We did not let Barcelona do what they wanted, that’s good for us, and we just have to repeat it (at Camp Nou).”
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Asked if Barcelona deserved to win or not, Ancelotti said it was clear his team deserved more.
“No, that is obvious, we had chances, but I think that it was one of Madrid’s best games in terms of pressing high,” added Ancelotti.
“It was a bit strange, their way of playing, but they have learned very well, it’s a very solid team defensively.”
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