Eder Militao goal guided Barcelona to win over Real Madrid

• Barcelona defeat Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
• Militao deflected a rebound into his own goal to split the teams
• He give Barcelona the advantage ahead of the second leg on April 5 at Camp Nou.

Eder Militao‘s own goal gave a depleted Barcelona a 1-0 away win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday.

The Catalans arrived after two consecutive defeats and without a trio of key players who were injured: top scorer Robert Lewandowski, key midfielder Pedri, and explosive winger Ousmane Dembele.

Madrid fans smelled blood after their Europa League elimination by Manchester United last week and their first ever loss to La Liga minnows Almeria, but they left bitterly disappointed.

After 26 minutes, Militao deflected a rebound into his own goal to split the teams and give Barcelona the advantage ahead of the second leg on April 5 at Camp Nou.

Barcelona played strong defence, and despite having more possession of the ball, the hosts were unable to generate a shot on goal.

“We wanted to play this game — not with this result, but it gives us confidence for the second leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.

“We didn’t let Barcelona do what they wanted, and that’s good for us; we just have to do it again (at Camp Nou).”

When asked if Barcelona deserved to win, Ancelotti stated unequivocally that his team deserved more.

“No, that is obvious; we had chances, but I think it was one of Madrid’s best games in terms of high pressing,” Ancelotti added.

“Their style of play was unusual at first, but they have learned quickly, and they are a very solid defensive team.”

After Andreas Christensen was deemed fit enough to start on the bench, Barcelona lined up with Marcos Alonso out of position at center-back.

Sergio Busquets beat out former Real Madrid and Barcelona greats Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi to set a new record with his 46th Clasico appearance.

Despite Barcelona’s seven-point lead over champions Real Madrid in La Liga, many, including Barca coach Xavi Hernandez, favoured Madrid.

With Benzema scoring an early goal that was disallowed for offside, Los Blancos—who haven’t won the trophy since 2014—pushed Barca back.

A few Madrid fans had protested outside the Santiago Bernabeu over Barcelona’s involvement in the “Negreira case,” in which the Catalan club paid a former refereeing chief for advice until 2018.

Vinicius Junior was booked for wrestling Frenkie de Jong to the ground midway through the first half, raising the temperature significantly.

Vinicius argued vehemently with the referee, and Madrid may have been distracted by the argument when Barcelona took the lead moments later.

Ferran Torres created the goal against the run of play, slipping through Franck Kessie just onside.

The Ivorian midfielder’s low shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, but Militao’s rebound sent the ball into his own net despite Nacho’s best efforts to hack it clear.

Despite struggling to create opportunities, Madrid players and fans reacted angrily when Barcelona midfielder Gavi got away with slamming into Militao.

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