In a thrilling encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid demonstrated their resilience as Endrick proved to be the hero, scoring twice in extra time to guide his side to a 5-2 victory over Celta Vigo in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey final. The victory followed a disappointing 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final a few days earlier.
Madrid had built a 2-0 advantage during normal time, thanks to the efforts of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, but a combative Celta staged a comeback. Jonathan Bamba reduced the deficit for Celta in the 83rd minute, before Marcos Alonso leveled the match in added time with a penalty after being fouled in the area.
With the score at 2-2, overtime became a test of will for both teams. With just 12 minutes left in the second extra period, Endrick, who came on in the 79th minute, struck from outside the box to put Madrid back in the lead. Moments later, Federico Valverde added a third goal before Endrick sealed the victory with a superb heel strike in the 119th minute, taking his tally to two goals for the evening.
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“It was difficult, but with Madrid it’s always like that. We keep fighting until the end and we emerge victorious,” said the jubilant 18-year-old Endrick, who celebrated his goals with overflowing enthusiasm, taking off his jersey in the process. “We never give up. »
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti will be relieved to see his side bounce back, especially as they look to remain competitive in La Liga where they are chasing Atletico Madrid at the top and progress in the Champions League.
-The match kicked off a crucial three-match home stretch for Madrid, who next face Las Palmas in La Liga before meeting Red Bull Salzburg in Europe.
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Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao’s hopes of defending their Copa del Rey title were dashed as they lost to Osasuna in a gripping match that ended 3- 2 at home. After a two-goal deficit from the start, Athletic managed to equalize thanks to Nico Williams and Óscar de Marcos, only to see Ante Budimir deliver the decisive blow for Osasuna in the 70th minute.
In other notable matches, Real Sociedad easily advanced to the next round with a convincing 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. On Wednesday, Barcelona dominated Real Betis with a 5-1 victory, while Atletico Madrid comfortably eliminated Elche 4-0. Getafe also progressed with a narrow 1-0 victory over fourth division side Pontevedra, and Leganes secured a 3-2 triumph over second division side Almeria.
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