Real Madrid is on the driving seat in the semifinal of Copa del Rey. With Endrick's forward, the Spanish giants defeated Real Sociedad away 1-0, earning a crucial advantage heading into the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu.
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Real Sociedad started by pressing high up the pitch, but it did not take them a single play to realize who was bossing this game. Bellingham delivered a brilliant pass to Endrick, and he took control of it beautifully and shot outside his left boot. A forward from a player who looks like an old and wise veteran than an 18-year-old young talent.
Madrid had opportunities to extend the lead through Vini Jr. and Bellingham, but an inspired Remiro kept Sociedad in the game. In the second half, the visitors managed to control the pace and relied on key saves from Lunin to secure the win.
Now, Ancelotti’s side holds all the cards heading into the decisive clash at the Bernabéu.
Endrick shines and proves he’s ready for the challenge
If there was ever any remaining skepticism about Endrick's potential to succeed in European soccer, it's dissipating rapidly. At the age of just 18, he showed incredible maturity and accuracy to score the winning goal, and a sense of awareness and belief far beyond his years.
The Brazilian could have made it two of his own, but the crossbar denied him his powerful shot following Vini Jr.'s clever play. He's demonstrated with each game that his adaptation to Spanish soccer is taking place at a breathtaking pace.
Carlo Ancelotti was unable to hide his admiration for his young star: "He's a forward with incredible qualities. He has a good sense of goal, he's fast and strong. He still needs to improve at playing with the ball, but he's a very quick learner."
If Endrick keeps this up, Real Madrid may have another phenomenon on their hands.
Lunin saves the game with game-winning saves
While Endrick made the disparity between the two sides in front of goal, Lunin excelled between the sticks. The Ukrainian goalkeeper was also as big as his saves with a minimum of three decisive saves to deny Real Sociedad, most notably from threat attacks by Oyarzabal and Barrenetxea.
Ancelotti made sure to make a statement about his keeper's performance: "We were very compact, defended well, and labored hard for each other. Lunin played spectacularly and achieved a significant result for the second leg."
With the initiative and an fit keeper, Real Madrid are in the best position to go on.
Real Sociedad struggled but were wasteful
Real Sociedad did everything they could and had some highlights. They controlled the ball at times, pressed up high, and carved out chances. But they suffered from the usual issue when they play well teams, a lack of clinical finishing.
Kubo and Oyarzabal were in great positions, but either shot wide or were denied by Lunin. Against Real Madrid, squandered chances come back to bite you.
Sociedad now has the monumental task of reversing the outcome at the Bernabéu, a tall order against a side that specializes in knockout games.
Controversy and drama mar the match
The game was not entirely focused on soccer. The referee was forced to interrupt the game at halftime after Marco Asensio was subjected to abusive chants from the stands. The moment spiralled out of control, and an ugly note was introduced into the night.
Ancelotti explained what happened: "The referee took the right action to bring an end to the match. It is unacceptable that the entire stadium was screaming 'die' to a player. I brought Asensio on because I could see that it was affecting his game."
Sadly, this type of incident is increasingly frequent in Spain. Vini Jr. was racially abused from the sideline as well, when a visiting "fan" gestured to him like a monkey when he had his back on him. It's maddening that these things keep happening and there's never anything done to stop them.