Benzema Scores Hat-trick as Real Hammers Barca to Real Copa Final -By Shereefdeen Ahmad

Karim Benzema grabbed a hat-trick as Real Madrid ran riot on Barcelona, smashing the Catalan giants 4-0 on Wednesday in Camp Nou to reach the Copa del Rey final on 4-1 aggregate. 

The in-form French striker put three past their arch-rivals Barcelona after Vinicius Junior broke the deadlock at the brink of the first-half to set up the stunning comeback in the second-half of the semi-final clash, having suffered an unexpected 1-0 defeat in the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.  

Back at the weekend, Karim Benzema again struck a hat-trick against Real Valladolid in La Liga, and the French striker repeated the magic to subject Barcelona to a humiliating 4-1 defeat.  

Though the Los Blancos are 12 points behind the Catalan giants on the La Liga standing_having suffered a late 2-1 defeat in the second-leg clash against Barcelona in March_ the Carlo Ancelotti’s side showed a masterclass display to reach the Copa del Rey final for the first since 2014, where they will face Osasuna.

Xavi’s side who are without pivotal stars like 

 Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen, could not survive the intensity of Real Madrid as they frustratingly conceded three goals inside the second-half. 

Real Madrid took the lead first-hlaf’s stoppage time, after Thibaut Courtois denied Robert Lewandowski’s effort inside the box. The Los Blancos staged a counter-attack which saw Vinicius Junior’s low-shot shot blocked by Jules Kounde but the ball already crossed the goal-line before hitting it inside the net. 

The French forward soon grabbed his own after Luka Modric opened Barca’s defense with an immaculate pass. He added the second from the penalty spot, sending Marc-Andre ter Stegen to the wrong side before netting the hat-trick at the 80th minute, courtesy a stylish pass from Vinicius Junior. 

Meanwhile, thousands of Barcelona fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name at the start of the game following a speculation that the world-cup winner is on the verge of parting ways with Paris Saint-Germain.