Real Madrid Edge Real Sociedad in 4-4 Thriller to Reach Final

Photo : Reuters

Real Madrid made a great comeback on Tuesday night, coming back from two goals behind to draw 4-4 against Real Sociedad after extra time. This result helped them win 5-4 on total score and go to the Copa del Rey final. A late goal from Antonio Rüdiger, who came on as a substitute, helped Madrid win on total score in a match full of exciting moments at the Santiago Bernabéu.

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The match started with a surprise when Real Sociedad scored first in the 16th minute. Ander Barrenetxea ran past Lucas Vázquez and shot the ball under goalkeeper Andriy Lunin’s legs to give his team the lead. But Real Madrid did not take long to answer. Young player Endrick, who was given a chance to start by coach Carlo Ancelotti, showed his skill in the 30th minute. He ran onto a beautiful pass from Vinícius Júnior and calmly lifted the ball over goalkeeper Álex Remiro to make the score 1-1. With this goal, Madrid was leading on total score again.

Madrid had more chances to score but did not take them. This mistake cost them in the second half when Real Sociedad scored two quick goals. In the 72nd minute, Pablo Marín ran forward and took a shot. The ball hit David Alaba and went into the net, making it 2-1 for Sociedad. Just eight minutes later, Takefusa Kubo passed the ball to Mikel Oyarzabal, who shot from inside the box. The ball again hit Alaba and went in. Real Sociedad was now leading 3-1 in the match and 4-3 on total score. The Bernabéu stadium became silent as Madrid was now losing.

But Madrid did not give up. Just two minutes later, Jude Bellingham reacted quickly to a loose ball inside the box and shot it into the goal, making it 3-2. Four minutes later, Aurelien Tchouaméni jumped high to head in a corner from Rodrygo, making the score 3-3. Now the total score was 4-4, and Madrid was back in the game.

The drama was not over. In the third minute of extra time at the end of the 90 minutes, Madrid made another mistake. A corner was not cleared properly, and Oyarzabal was left alone to head in Sociedad’s fourth goal. The match now went to extra time.

Ancelotti decided to bring on Antonio Rüdiger in place of Alaba to strengthen the defense. This decision changed the match. Late in extra time, Madrid won a corner. Arda Güler, another substitute, sent a perfect cross into the box, and Rüdiger jumped high to score with his head. This goal made it 4-4 on the night but 5-4 for Madrid on total score, helping them reach the final.

With this win, Real Madrid will play in the Copa del Rey final against either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid. These two teams had also played a 4-4 draw in their first match, and their second match would decide who faces Madrid in the final.

After the match, Tchouaméni spoke about the game, saying, “I don’t know how to explain how I feel. Yes, we are happy because we reached the final, but we cannot be happy with how we played. We gave everything until the end, and we knew our players on the bench could help, but we need to play better.”

This match showed both the good and bad sides of Madrid. Their defense made mistakes, but their fighting spirit helped them come back. In the end, their strong desire to win helped them reach the final. Now, they will try to win the Copa del Rey and add another trophy to their history.