Real Madrid Vs Olímpic de Xàtiva, Copa del Rey 2013-2014: A Convincing Game To Move On To The Next Round

There was no room for a new Alcorconazo. Real Madrid's intention of qualifying for the next round of the Spanish King's Cup was very clear since the game started. Ancelotti's men were focused and made the field lean towards Olímpic de Xàtiva's goal until the match was solved.

There were no surprises in the lineup. Our coach had told the press yesterday the men who would play today, and he was not lying. It was, definitely, a good opportunity for players like Illarramendi, Casemiro, Jesé, Morata or Di María, who are not getting as much action as they would like to, to cause a good impression on the fans and the coaching staff and earn a spot for the subsequent games. The system was not changed, so the 4-2-3-1, with Isco as an attacking midfielder, that we are seeing lately was the weapon chosen by Ancelotti to break the defense of our rivals. Jesé, Di María and Morata occupied the BBC positions and the responsibility of scoring the goals was attributed to them.

On the other side, Olímpic de Xàtiva wanted to extend their good performance of the first leg for ninety more minutes. They tried to display a 4-4-2 with very little space between the lines, with the aim of making it hard for us to associate in positional attack phase, which would be the most frequent. However, their lack of offensive talent was pretty obvious every time they recovered the ball and tried to run to Casillas' goal, so in a few minutes they contented themselves with sticking together and make Real Madrid's first goal arrive as late as possible.

However, this plan was difficult to accomplish. After a couple of good chances, Real Madrid scored. Jesé received a long pass from Di María close to the box. His marking defender made a huge mistake trying to leave him in an offside position, so he ended up being alone. When the other centerback came towards him to compensate, there was a hole in the box that Illarra, coming from the back, took advantage of. Jesé's assist was perfect, and so was Illarra's shot, which make him score his first goal as a madridista. It was the fifteenth minute and the victory was already on its way.

Real Madrid's intensity was not reduced. They wanted to decide the game as soon as possible, and so the plan remained the same. Ball possession, pressure for a fast recovery and one attack after another. With these ingredients, the second goal arrived soon enough, and it was, in its origins, similar to the first one. Again, a long ball from Di María was received by Morata inside the box. His headbutt was cut by a defender's hand. The referee called the penalty and it was Di María who scored, though Olímpic's goalkeeper guessed his shot. The Fideo's celebration, together with the attitude shown during the whole match, suggest his bad thoughts are gone and he is ready to do his best to help the team.

With the 2-0, the match was finished. Both Madrid and Olímpic players knew there was no room for a comeback and so the game became a bit boring. The blancos reduced their intention of getting to Olímpic's goal and increased their control of the ball. Only Isco's jugglings and Jesé's hunger helped us create a few more goal attempts, but most of them were wasted by Morata, willful but mistaken tonight. The only bad news today came from Casillas and Casemiro, who hit each other in an unfortunate defensive action and were in pain for a minute, but recovered and could finish the game without problems. We will see how they evolve in the following days.

This win qualifies Real Madrid for the Copa del Rey's round of 16, where we will face Osasuna to try to lenghten our way in the competition and get some revenge from last Saturday's draw. These games will be held in January, but, before that, we need to prepare for a couple of games in La Liga, against Valencia, before the Christmas break, and against Celta, just after the Wise Men visit us.