Karim of Madrid: Benzema’s treble puts Real in Copa final

Barcelona, April 6

Barcelona entered the final ‘clasico’ of the season with a chance of earning a fourth straight win against Real Madrid in the same season for the first time.

But when it was all over, they had endured one of their worst ever home losses to their arch-rivals.

With another hat-trick by Karim Benzema, Madrid overturned Barcelona’s advantage in the Copa del Rey semifinals with a resounding 4-0 win at Camp Nou Stadium to reach the final for the first time in nearly a decade.

Madrid hadn’t beaten Barcelona by four goals at Camp Nou since a 5-1 win in 1963. Vinicius Junior also scored as Madrid advanced 4-1 on aggregate after having lost the first leg 1-0 at home. Benzema also had a hat-trick in Madrid’s 6-0 rout of Valladolid in the La Liga on Sunday.

“It’s obvious that after Karim improved, the team improved as well,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “When he is at his best, everything is better for us. And (Luka) Modric and (Toni) Kroos also had great games. In these types of matches, experience makes a difference.” — AP