Real Madrid and FC Barcelona continued thier Copa del Rey journeys with victories on Tuesday and wednesday, advancing to the next round of the prestigious tournament.While Barcelona navigated a challenge from Guadalajara, Real Madrid secured a 3-2 win over Talavera de la Reina, fueled by a brace from in-form striker Kylian Mbappé . The win for Real Madrid avoids a repeat of past Copa del Rey upsets against lower-division opponents, a concern given their history in the competition.
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona both advanced in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday and Wednesday, setting the stage for a competitive run in the prestigious Spanish cup competition. Barcelona overcame a stubborn challenge from third-tier side Guadalajara, while Real Madrid saw Kylian Mbappé play a pivotal role in their victory over Talavera.
Mbappé Decisive in Real Madrid’s Victory
Real Madrid faced Talavera, a team they’ve encountered before as Talavera also fields a team in the league with Real Madrid’s reserve squad. Despite being heavy favorites, Los Blancos were wary, remembering a shocking 4-0 defeat to a lower-division opponent in the Copa del Rey back in 2009, a game that featured stars like Jerzy Dudek and Raúl.
The current squad was determined to avoid a repeat of that upset. Talavera proved a difficult opponent early on, holding firm without conceding for a significant portion of the match. The breakthrough finally came in the 41st minute when Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty, giving Real the lead.
Just four minutes later, Manuel Farrando unfortunately put the ball into his own net, extending Real’s advantage. They entered halftime with a comfortable 2-0 lead, with Mbappé also contributing to the second goal.
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That first-half performance proved enough to secure the win and a place in the next round of the cup. Despite a late goal from Nahuel Arroyo in the 80th minute that briefly gave Talavera hope, Real Madrid held on.
Mbappé added another goal in the dying moments of the match, firing a long-range shot past the goalkeeper to make it 3-1. Talavera managed a consolation goal in added time with a stunning free kick from Gonzalo Di Renzo that caught Andriy Lunin off guard, but Lunin quickly redeemed himself with a crucial save to prevent a third goal.
Real Madrid will return to league action on Saturday against Sevilla, who were eliminated from the Copa del Rey on Wednesday after a 1-0 loss to Deportivo Alaves.
Atletico Madrid also progressed on Wednesday, though they faced a tougher test against Baleares. Antoine Griezmann and Giacomo Raspadori put Atletico ahead, but Gerardo Bonet quickly responded for Baleares before halftime. The second half saw Griezmann score again, but Baleares were awarded two penalties in the final ten minutes. Jaume Tovar missed the first, but Mouhamadou Keita converted the second. Ultimately, Diego Simeone’s side prevailed 3-2 and advanced to the next round.
- CF Talavera 2:3 Real Madrid (0:2)
- Goals: Nahuel Arroyo’80, Gonzalo Di Renzo’ 90+1 – Kylian Mbappe’41’88, Manuel Farrando’45 (own goal)
- Talavera: Gonzalez (gk) – Cuenca (46′ Molina), Lopez, Farrando, Roig (59′ Arroyo) – Gallardo Rodriguez (k) (77′ Molina), Pitu, Navarro, Sanchez (46′ Capo) – Di Renzo, Moreno (69′ Montero Sergio)
- Coach: Alejandro Sandroni
- Real: Łunin (gk) (k) – Jimenez, Huijsen, Carreras, Fran Garcia – Guler (77′ Tchouameni), Ceballos (86′ Cestero), Mastantuono (65′ Rodrygo) – Goznalo Garcia, Mbappe, Endrick (77′ Bellingham)
- Coach: Xabi Alonso
- Referee: Guillermo Cuadra
- Yellow Cards: Eduardo Gallardo Rodriguez – Jude Bellingham
