Reached the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup.

The main highlight of the match “Real” – “Atletico” in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup – an incredible goal by Rodrigo.

The Brazilian picked up the ball not far from the pivot, put Axel Witzel on a snatch, calmly beat Mario Hermoso, who pulled out of the defensive line, deceived Stefan Savic and Nahuel Molina, who were trying to close Rodrigo’s passage to the center, and carefully shot into the near corner, which Jan Oblak did not do very well defended.

The best expression of individuality in football.

Rodrigo’s goal divided the match into two parts: in the first, Atlético held 1-0 after Alvaro Morata’s goal in the 19th minute, in the second, Real Madrid turned the game into chaos, Stefan Savic retired already in extra time, and then ” Real finished off Atlético: on the 104th, Karim Benzema caught a pass at the far post, on the 121st, Vinicius, after another pass, brought the score to the final 3:1.

Rodrigo is a master of important goals

Real Madrid losing and Rodrigo coming on as a substitute. Doesn’t it remind you of anything?

This is already a business card.

In the 2021/22 Champions League quarter-final, Rodrigo came 0-3 in the 78th minute of the second leg against Chelsea, Real Madrid needed a goal to go into extra time. On the 80th, Rodrigo completed the task. In extra time, Benzema scored the decisive goal.

In the semi-finals of the 2021/22 Champions League, Rodrigo appeared in the 68th minute of the second game against Man City, City opened the scoring in the 73rd, and Real Madrid needed two goals. Rodrigo scored a double hitting the 90th and 91st. Benzema scored the decisive goal in extra time.

These are just the most famous cases. Rodrigo launched a comeback against Sevilla in the spring of 2022, when the team turned 0-2 into 3-2. Or the winning goal in the 4th round of La Liga 2022/23 against the prickly Real Betis. It’s already a trademark.

Real Madrid are in the semi-finals of the Cup. Haven’t been there for three seasons in a row

Atlético is quite a convenient opponent for Real Madrid in the Cup.

Under Simeone, Real Madrid and Atlético met eight times in the Copa del Rey: Madrid took five of them, plus Atlético’s two wins and one draw. But it was Cholo who left the last final in the Cup – in the 2012/2013 season, Atlético took the trophy with a score of 2: 1.

Atlético have not won at the Bernabeu since 2016. Then Simeone’s team gnawed 1:0 with a goal from Griezmann. This defeat was the first in the coaching career of Zinedine Zidane. It’s also difficult to score away: Morata’s goal is the first for the team since 2018.

But in general, the Spanish Cup seems to be a difficult tournament for Real Madrid. There are only two victories in the 21st century, the last one was already in 2014. After that, the club played only once in the semi-finals, being eliminated from Barcelona in the 2018/19 season. Then he did not get further than the quarterfinals and even flew out in 1/32.

A few weeks ago, Ancelotti admitted that Real Madrid are eager to win the Cup and will give everything for this: “The Spanish Cup is a very important tournament for us, although it is inferior compared to the Champions League. This is one of the trophies we want to win this season. We need to act smarter. You can’t win on skill alone. Real Madrid needs to play harder and fight.”