In the absence of Kylian Mbappé, who was unavailable due to a dental procedure, Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday. The French star, who has been in remarkable form with six goals in his last five appearances, was forced to skip practice earlier this week. However, stepping up in his place was the young Brazilian forward, Endrick.
At just 18 years old, Endrick made a noteworthy impact by netting a crucial first-half goal following an impressive long pass from Jude Bellingham. Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, praised the youngster’s performance, noting, “Endrick has helped us a lot. His goal was fantastic. He worked well both in the attack and in defense. The team has been playing well.”
Meanwhile, in the other semifinal fixture played a day earlier, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid ended up with a thrilling 4-4 draw. Both semifinal return legs are scheduled for April.
In a strategic move, coach Ancelotti decided to rest some of his regulars, with Thibaut Courtois and Federico Valverde not in the lineup. Standing in for Courtois was goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who proved pivotal in maintaining Madrid’s slender first-leg advantage.
Real Madrid last claimed a Copa del Rey title in 2023 but was ousted by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 in the previous season. As for Real Sociedad, their journey to the semifinals marks their first since capturing their third Copa crown in 2020, famously knocking Madrid out in the quarterfinals with a thrilling 4-3 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Behind them lay recent struggles against Madrid, having suffered defeats in their previous three league encounters.
The Copa del Rey format formerly employed single-elimination rounds, with this year’s final set to take place in Seville on April 26.
