Errors leave Barca out of the Copa and without a treble

Football is sometimes unfair. And this Wednesday it was, and very much so, with Barça. The Blaugrana were painfully knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a Madrid side that did not deserve to win the way they did at the Camp Nou. Xavi's side were coming off the back of three consecutive Clasicos and were aiming for a fourth win that would have set them up for a historic treble. But two defensive lapses, at the end of the first half and at the start of the second, were enough for Los Blancos to seal the tie and leave Barça without the option of adding another title after winning the Spanish Super Cup and almost securing the league title. It was a bad night for the Blaugrana. Barça deserved to annihilate Madrid in the first 45 minutes, forgave too much and then paid the consequences. It was a setback which, however, should not tarnish the more than brilliant season they are having. 

The first half was fast-paced, frenetic, with a lot of direct play that Barça were able to execute to perfection. The blaugranas generated several clear goal-scoring chances, but were unable to finish. Xavi's team put a Madrid side on the ropes, overcome by the impetus and speed of the Cules (spectacular Balde) and deserved to go into the break with the semi-final sentenced. However, luck eluded them. And in stoppage time they went from a possible 1-0 to an unsuspected 0-1 in a matter of seconds. Courtois made an impossible save from Lewandowski's shot and in the subsequent counter-attack Vinicius took advantage of the numerical superiority to score and level the tie. It was a very intense three quarters of an hour, without respite, without pause, not without tension and even with a possible penalty for handball by Alaba that Martinez Munuera did not call.

Just at the start of the second half, another defensive error by the blaugrana allowed Benzema to have a comfortable shot that he did not waste to make it 0-2. It was a cold shower of water that left Barça groggy. A penalty from Kessie on Vinicius was enough for Benzema to make it 3-0 and sink Xavi's side, who were unable to react. Madrid took control of the game (Benzema scored a hat trick) and not even the changes made by the coach did anything to change the dynamic. The defeat was already a fact and so was the KO in the Cup. A pity...