Xavi

Barcelona player ratings vs Real Madrid: Blaugrana BATTERED by Karim Benzema! Sorry Barca suffer humbling Copa del Rey Clasico exit

Thomas Hindle
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Real Madrid put four past Barcelona at Camp Nou to blow their arch rivals out of the water and book a place in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday.

A second-half masterclass from Karim Benzema combined with a defensive horror show from Barcelona saw Real Madrid rout their Clasico rivals 4-0 to reach the Copa del Rey final.

Barca were relatively comfortable until the stroke of half-time, when Vinicius Jr gave Los Blancos the lead after a flowing counter-attack.

And Real recaptured some of their signature knockout-football mojo after the break, with Benzema leading the way. The Frenchman bagged a second-half hat-trick — his second in a row — to put Barcelona away. It was all too easy for Madrid, as the usually reliable Blaugrana defence collapsed under the weight of a Benzema masterclass.

Xavi's side will still win La Liga, but this Clasico humbling showed that they still have a long way to go.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Camp Nou...

Editors' Picks

  1. Goalkeeper & Defence

    Marc-Andre ter Stegen (5/10):

    Couldn't have done anything about any of the four goals, although he did get sent the wrong way on the penalty.

    Ronald Araujo (5/10):

    Thrust into another matchup with Vinicius Jr. Made one crucial intervention early, but lost the battle late.

    Jules Kounde (5/10):

    Tried in vain to divert Madrid's opener, but was caught out of position for Real's second. Doesn't have the best understanding with Alonso.

    Marcos Alonso (4/10):

    Unsteady for spells, and should have fouled Rodyrgo as he broke for Madrid's opener. Not a centre-back, and it shows.

    Alex Balde (6/10):

    Terrific going forward, including one wonderful run and cut-back. But was exposed defensively as the minutes wore on.

  2. Midfield

    Franck Kessie (4/10):

    Started very well, but had a nightmare of a second half. Gave away a penalty for Madrid's third.

    Sergio Busquets (5/10):

    Up for the fight, but some of his passing was uncharacteristically poor. Completely lost as the game wore on.

    Sergi Roberto (5/10):

    Lots of energy, unafraid to tackle, but was poor defensively. Picked up a silly booking in the first half. The drop-off from Frenkie de Jong is massive.

    Gavi (6/10):

    Exchanged some words with Vinicius after a couple of hard fouls. Typically combative and smooth on the ball. Lacked his usual creative influence.

  4. Attack
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    Attack

    Raphinha (4/10):

    Started brightly with an early effort on target but was locked down by the excellent Eduardo Camavinga thereafter. Tried to do too much, and was hooked after 66 minutes.

    Robert Lewandowski (6/10):

    Saw a shot saved by a diving Thibaut Courtois right at the end of the first half. His chances were limited thereafter.

  5. Subs & Manager
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    Subs & Manager

    Ansu Fati (5/10):

    Charged with making something happen over the last 30 minutes. Unable to turn the tide.

    Eric Garcia (5/10):

    Not the kind of player to be introduced when you're chasing the game.

    Ferran Torres (5/10):

    Made some poor decisions, got booked.

    Xavi (4/10):

    Picked his strongest possible side, with Kessie, Roberto and Busquets filling out a physical midfield. Everything seemed to be going very well for 45 minutes, but then the Real Madrid knockout special happened. Barcelona were helpless in the second half and overrun by an experienced side. By the end of it all, Madrid should've had five. Xavi has a long way to go as a manager yet.