Real Madrid have made it through to the next round of the Copa del Rey without a hitch. Brahim Diaz was the decider at fourth-division bottom side CF Arandina. However, Arda Güler’s eye-catching debut in a competitive match attracted more attention
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti made ten changes to his starting eleven compared to the 1-0 win over Mallorca. Only Fran Garcia had to start again at left-back. Of course, special attention was paid to Arda Güler, who made his eagerly awaited starting debut for Real. The Turk, who has been struggling with injuries since his much-publicized summer transfer, was able to count on the support of his family in the stands.
And in the first half, Arda Güler was indeed by far the most eye-catching professional on the pitch and showed glimpses of his ability. After 14 minutes, the left-footer fired into the near corner with his weaker right foot, and five minutes later he stroked a free-kick against the left-hand post. After just over half an hour, Arda Güler sent Brahim Diaz on his way with a “deadly” pass, but he was not quick enough.
Two more shots threatened in the 39th and 45th minutes: first Joselu hit the outside of the net with a powerful shot from a turn, then Paz headed just over the crossbar from Arda Güler’s cross
After the break, the Whites had to do more to avoid embarrassing the fourth-division side, who are currently bottom of the table. Out of nowhere, Camavinga sent Brahim Diaz into the penalty area on the right, where he wasted perhaps Real’s best chance to date from an acute angle (51′).
However, the Spaniard was to decide the game within a minute: First his dribbling through two opponents resulted in a penalty, which Joselu converted safely (54′), then Brahim Diaz himself scored with a powerful right-footed shot to make it 2:0 (55′). Ancelotti took Arda Güler and Camavinga off the pitch and brought on two key players in Fede Valverde and Rodrygo
Joselu misses a great chance – turbulent stoppage time
With an eye on their next tasks, Real understandably slowed down. However, they still had a great chance to make it 3:0: Rodrygo set up Joselu, who missed the ball badly, meaning the Spaniard was unable to finish in front of goal (82′).
The game was drawing to a close before the stoppage time brought more turbulence: Brahim Diaz collected his third goal of the evening with an assist for Rodrygo, before Real captain Nacho scored the home side’s acclaimed consolation goal at the other end (90.+1, 90.+3).
The La Liga leaders now travel to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa. The Whites will face city rivals Atletico in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening. In the other semi-final, FC Barcelona and last year’s Copa finalists CA Osasuna will face off the following day at the same time.
