Barcelona defeats Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

In the first half, Barcelona took the lead thanks to an own goal by Madrid defender u00c9der Milito. The rivals will also clash in the Spanish league on March 19 in Barcelona, and on April 5 in the return leg of the Copa semifinals.
It was also the first match between the rivals since the information was made public. Barcelona paid the vice president of the country’s refereeing committee millions of euros over several years. At the Bernabu00e9u, a banner read, Clean and white, never tarnished.
In the other semifinal, Osasuna defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home on Wednesday. The match at the Bernabu00e9u was evenly matched, with both teams struggling to create significant scoring opportunities.
Madrid dominated possession but couldn’t break through the Barcelona defence, and the game ended with no shots on target. In the 26th minute, the ball deflected off Milito after a run into the area by Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessiu00e9.
Eduardo Camavinga, a Madrid midfielder, lost possession near midfield and scored. Kessiu00e9 initially disallowed it as an offside, but it was later confirmed after video review.
I’m happy with the result, but not with how we played, said Barcelona coach Xavi. It will be nice to play the return leg at home in front of our fans, but I still believe Madrid is the favourite to advance.
Madrid thought Karim Benzema had opened the scoring in the 12th minute, but he was offside. In the 74th minute, Kessiu00e9 came close to extending Barcelona’s lead, but his shot from the middle of the area was inadvertently deflected near the goal line by teammate Ansu Fati.
I’m happy with the result, but not with how we played, said Barcelona coach Xavi. It will be nice to play the return leg at home in front of our fans, but I still believe Madrid is the favourite to advance.
Madrid thought Karim Benzema had opened the scoring in the 12th minute, but he was offside. In the 74th minute, Kessiu00e9 came close to extending Barcelona’s lead, but his shot from the middle of the area was inadvertently deflected near the goal line by teammate Ansu Fati.
It’s a significant result that gives us a slight advantage in the return match at home, Busquets said. We had two losses and were missing some players, so this helps the group.
Barcelona had just lost 1-0 to Almera in the Spanish league, the first time the Catalan club had failed to score since October. Previously, it was eliminated in the Europa League playoffs by Manchester United. In the league, it leads Madrid by seven points.
source: FC BarcelonaBarcelona won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1 in January, but lost the first clasico of the season by the same score in a league match at the Bernabu00e9u last year. Barcelona also beat Madrid in the Copa del Rey last season, advancing to the semifinals with a 3-0 win in the second leg at the Bernabu00e9u.
Due to injuries, Madrid was missing central defender David Alaba and left back Ferland Mendy. Rodrygo returned from injury but started on the bench, with Vincius Junior and Benzema starting but not producing much.
We didn’t deserve to lose; we played well, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. It gives us hope for the rematch. We’ll have a chance to advance if we can do the same in Barcelona.
After invading the field at the Bernabu00e9u, a fan was detained by security personnel. Barcelona holds the most Copa titles (31), eight more than Athletic. Madrid comes in second with 19, but none since 2014. The final will be held in Seville on May 6.