Madrid, April 2: Real Madrid has booked its place in the Copa del Rey final after a thrilling semifinal clash against Real Sociedad. Despite a 4-4 draw in the second leg on Tuesday night, Madrid advanced with a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Playing at the iconic Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid saw goals from Endrick, Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Antonio Rüdiger. Sociedad, on the other hand, fought hard with two goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and one from Ander Barrenetxea, along with an own goal gifted by Madrid. In the first leg, Madrid had edged out Sociedad with a 1-0 victory.
The match was an intense back-and-forth battle. Sociedad struck first in the 16th minute through Barrenetxea. However, Madrid responded in the 30th minute with a goal from Endrick, leveling the score at 1-1. In the 72nd minute, an unfortunate own goal by David Alaba handed Sociedad a 2-1 advantage, which Oyarzabal extended to 3-1 in the 80th minute.
Madrid refused to back down. Bellingham pulled one back in the 82nd minute, followed by a stunning equalizer from Tchouaméni in the 86th minute, bringing the score to 3-3. Just when it seemed like the match would head to extra time with Madrid leading on aggregate, Oyarzabal struck again in injury time, making it 4-3 and leveling the overall score at 4-4.
With the semifinal still undecided, the game entered extra time. After a tense battle, Rüdiger stepped up in the 25th minute of extra time, delivering the crucial goal that sealed Madrid’s 5-4 aggregate victory.
With this dramatic win, Real Madrid advances to the Copa del Rey final, while Sociedad exits the tournament. Madrid will now face the winner of the other semifinal between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in the ultimate showdown for the trophy.
