Hazard extra-time goal sends 10-man Real Madrid through in Copa del Rey
MADRID (REUTERS) - Ten-man Real Madrid overcame a hostile atmosphere and fought back from a goal down in extra-time to beat Elche 2-1 on Thursday (Jan 20) and reach the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Following a scoreless 90 minutes, Elche took the lead with a free kick earned with Real down to 10 men after Marcelo was sent off for a foul on Tete Morente.
Experienced defender Gonzalo Verdu struck the free kick into the wall but his second effort deflected off Dani Ceballos and wrong-footed goalkeeper Andriy Lunin before ending up in the back of the net.
Real grabbed the equaliser when Isco deflected a Ceballos shot inside the box and substitute Eden Hazard scored the winner on a counter-attack after receiving a through ball from David Alaba, rounding the goalkeeper and finishing into an empty net.
The match ended in controversy as Elche found the net in the last minute of extra-time, but the referee disallowed the effort for a foul in the build-up.
After the long trip home from Saudi Arabia where Real won the Spanish Super Cup final against Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on Sunday, manager Carlo Ancelotti rested several first-team regulars.
“It’s a big accomplishment to come-from-behing down to 10 men,” Real defender Nacho Fernandez told reporters.
“It was a long game but they have defended really well. We are happy. We fought until the end, even with adversity. I think we deserve to advance.”
Real Madrid joined Real Sociedad, Valencia, Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano, Mallorca , Cadiz and Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals.
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