Real Madrid beat CD Leganes 3-2 in a thrilling encounter. This means that the Whites have reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
Leganes coach Borja Jimenez made four changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Rayo Vallecano: Soriano came in for Dmitrovic in goal for the home side. While the defense remained unchanged, Cissé, Raba and Munir were rotated out of the starting lineup. Tapia, Brasanac and Garcia started for them.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, made almost wholesale changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Espanyol Barcelona: Lunin started in goal. In front of him, Mendy, Ramon and Raul started in the back four instead of Fran, Garcia, Rüdiger and Vazquez. Modric started in midfield, as did Tchouameni. In attack, both Bellingham and Mbappé were missing through injury, while Vinicius Junior started on the bench. Brahim Diaz, Endrick and Arda Güler were given the nod.
Leganes fight back before half-time
The home side got off to the better start: as early as the second minute, Cruz appeared unmarked in front of Lunin, but the keeper managed to parry his shot for a corner. Shortly afterwards, a sharp free-kick followed, but this also failed to create any opportunities. And so Real slowly but surely woke up from their sleepy start.
The lead was announced in the form of Endrick, who was unable to complete a strong assist from Brahim Diaz (14th). But four minutes later, it was Modric who brought his team into the lead: Rodrygo pulled in and kept an overview, crossed to the Croatian, who remained ice-cold in front of Soriano.
The Whites kept the pressure on: Endrick benefited from the disorganized home defense when Tapia cleared the ball right in front of his legs. The Brazilian gratefully accepted the assist and pushed it in (25′). The game then slowed down a little. Both teams neutralized each other. But anyone who thought that Leganes had already been beaten was sorely mistaken. The 16th-placed team in the La Liga scored a penalty before half-time through Cruz to get back into the game (39′), meaning that the game went into the break with a close result.
Garcia decides the game
Vinicius Junior came on for the second half and immediately added some momentum. The Brazilian was repeatedly involved in the attacks and caused the opposing defense major problems. The 24-year-old also missed the chance to extend the lead when he was unmarked to head the ball at the second post, but he nodded the ball over the crossbar from a few meters out (52′). And so the other side scored: it was again the conspicuous Cruz, who took a shot in the penalty area. Mendy deflected the ball, leaving Lunin with only a save to make (59′).
The draw brought back the hosts’ ultimate belief in the upset: the game developed into a thriller. Both teams threw themselves into every tackle, the audience was fully there. In the 75th minute, Brahim Diaz lofted the ball over Soriano, but only hit the crossbar. And just as everyone was preparing for extra time, the Royal team finally struck: Diaz danced past Brasanac on the right and delicately lifted the ball into the middle. Joker Garcia rose high and nodded the ball into the net. In the end, the score was 3-2 to the visitors.
The win means that the Royal Blues have advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, while Leganes are out despite a spirited performance.
