Real Madrid secured their spot in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey by defeating Leganes 3-2 at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque. Despite the match appearing to head towards extra time, goals from Luka Modric, Endrick, and 20-year-old Gonzalo Garcia ensured Los Blancos emerged victorious.
The game began at a swift pace, with Leganes having a promising opportunity to take the lead. However, Los Blancos’ goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made a fine save to deny Diego Garcia’s shot. The first 15 minutes saw both teams create chances in an active start. On the 16th minute, Oscar Rodriguez missed a header for the home team. Their missed chances came back to haunt them when Luka Modric was left unmarked on the edge of the box and scored. Real Madrid doubled their lead soon after when Leganes failed to clear a ball in the box, resulting in Endrick finding the back of the net.
In the 38th minute, Leganes was awarded a penalty after center-back Jacon Ramon handled the ball. Juan Cruz converted it, placing it just out of Lunin’s reach. Vinicius Jr. came on for the second half, replacing Rodrygo. He immediately made an impact, forcing a fantastic save from goalkeeper Juan Soriano. However, he missed a golden opportunity to score shortly after. Real Madrid began to dominate the game and create good chances. Endrick attempted to find Vinicius with a pass instead of taking a shot himself, and the ball was intercepted. From the resulting corner, Vinicius had an excellent chance but headed the ball with his shoulder, sending it over the bar. Leganes equalized with a lucky goal when Juan Cruz’s shot deflected off Ferland Mendy, leaving Lunin with no chance.
Vinicius was the driving force for Real Madrid, and it seemed like he would be the key to their victory. He was involved in a potential third goal, passing to Brahim Diaz, whose shot hit the crossbar. With minutes left, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, and Diaz all had great chances to secure a win for Madrid without extra time. However, it was young substitute Gonzalo Garcia who scored the last-minute winner.
