Five stats from Real Madrid’s historic 4-0 Copa del Rey win over Barcelona

Real Madrid have reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2014 after overturning a 1-0 first leg defeat to beat Barcelona 4-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou and run out 4-1 aggregate winners in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

The victory came courtesy of goals from Vinícius Júnior and a Karim Benzema hat-trick after a hard-fought first 45 minutes had the game level going into injury time of the first half.

Here are five stats that help us to understand the game.

2: The number of Real Madrid players to score a hat-trick at Camp Nou, including Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema’s hat-trick, his first against Barcelona on his 43rd Clásico appearance, has firmly written his names into the history books of Real Madrid and this fixture. He became the first Real Madrid player since Ferenc Púskas on January 27th 1963 to score a Clásico hat-trick at Camp Nou and only the second in history.

What’s more, only two other men have scored hat-tricks at Camp Nou against Barcelona this century, Diego Forlán in 2005 and Kylian Mbappé in 2021. Benzema has now joined that club with three hugely important goals.

Coming after the 6-0 win over Real Valladolid, Benzema also recorded hat-tricks in consecutive games. It’s the first time he has recorded that feat, having gone close in December 2015 when he scored three against Malmö and then three against Rayo Vallecano 12 days later.

2013/14: Last time Real Madrid reached the Copa del Rey final

This result means that Real Madrid will be in the Copa del Rey final nine years after their last one. This time they’ll take on Osasuna at the Estadio de la Cartuja in May almost a decade after beating this year’s semi-final opponents, Barcelona, in 2014’s final.

Of course, the man in charge for that final, when Gareth Bale humiliated Marc Bartra down the touchline at Mestalla, was Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian was the last man to take Real Madrid to the final stage of the competition and since then, Rafa Benítez, Zinedine Zidane, Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari have all passed through the dugout without being able to repeat that feat.

The last time there was such a long spell between two Copa del Rey final appearances was between 1947 and 1958, when there was an 11-year gap. That was the only time in the club’s history that the number of years between final appearances reached double figures.

1: Times that Real Madrid have lost after leading at half-time at the Spotify Camp Nou

Vinícius Júnior’s goal could not have at a better time. The stats prove as much as the goal on the stroke of half-time meant that Real Madrid went in at the break with the lead at Camp Nou. And that has a strong precedent.

This was the 18th time that it has been the case, ending in 14 wins, three draws and just one defeat, on March 27th, 1966, when a 1-0 lead courtesy of a goal from Paco Gento at half-time was overturned to end in a 2-1 victory for the home team.

It also made the difference on this occasion. Barcelona had arguably dominated the chances in the first period, but in the second half they were run ragged as the home team had to push for a goal and Real Madrid caught Barcelona clinically on the counter time and time again.

Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

8: Tackles won by Eduardo Camavinga, twice as many as any other player attempted

A makeshift left-back he may be, but Eduardo Camavinga produced a magisterial display on the left of the Real Madrid defence which continued to show him completely dominating opposition, even as on this occasion he came up against a supposedly world class opponent.

Camavinga was involved in eight tackles, winning all eight, while the next highest on the pitch was Toni Kroos with four attempted tackles. There was simply no comparing the Frenchman to anybody else on the pitch.

His energy and class was decisive again and Barcelona simply could not get through in wide areas, meaning that their play was driven through the middle where Real Madrid’s three in midfield could handle the threat. Camavinga was key to that by blocking everything that Raphinha tried down the Barcelona right. He also had 66 touches, only three fewer than Dani Carvajal and two fewer than Toni Kroos in the rankings.

10: Goals scored by Real Madrids in 4 days

With the thrashing of Valladolid and the rout at Camp Nou, Carlo Ancelotti has got Real Madrid firing on all cylinders. In four days, Real Madrid have scored as many goals as they had in the previous 39. Over that period, Real Madrid played seven games, dating back to the five goals scored against Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League.

Ancelotti has made tactical tweaks, with Rodrygo Goes earning a starting role on the right flank which surprised some as he retained it for this Clásico. Equally, Camavinga has moved to left-back and added dynamism and energy, while much praise must also go to Karin Benzema for his incredible form after an intense training regime through the international break.

Ancelotti has got his team playing incredible football at just the right time. Villarreal, who visit the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, are not easy to break down, and then it’s Chelsea’s turn to visit the Spanish capital. Keeping up this rate of goalscoring could be decisive on two different fronts, with the LaLiga title race feeling more alive after this historic Clásico.