The semi-finals of the Copa del Rey are just around the corner and kick off this Tuesday. Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Real Madrid are the teams involved in a tie in which the Catalans and the Madrilenians on one side, and the Whites and the Basques on the other, will be looking to qualify for the final of the tournament and win the title.
Real Madrid‘s path in the Cup has become more complicated as the knock-out rounds have progressed. In the knockout stages, the Whites eliminated Deportiva Minera (0-5) in the round of 32; Celta de Vigo (5-2) in the round of 16 at the Bernabéu in extra time and controversy included; and Leganés (2-3) in the quarterfinals, winning in the last gasp thanks to a goal from homegrown player Gonzalo.
Atlético de Madrid reached the semi-finals after a convincing 5-0 win over Getafe with two goals from Giuliano Simeone, another from Samuel Lino, another from Ángel Correa and another from Alexander Sorloth, advancing to the semi-finals which last year were their limit.
For its part, Barcelona has demonstrated immense superiority in this competition, reaching the semifinals on the back of thrashings. In the quarterfinals, they thrashed an insignificant Valencia who did not learn the lesson of the 7-1 they received in Montjuïc a few weeks ago and fell 0-5. The Azulgrana team will complete the Copa semifinals after destroying their rival in half an hour.
Real Sociedad did the same against Osasuna. La Real put in their best performance and won 2-0 to reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. A first half played with intensity, impetus and accuracy, with goals from Barrene and Brais, has taken the Real to the next round, just what they needed.
Are the semifinals of the Copa a two-legged affair?
In recent years, the Copa del Rey has undergone a change of format in an attempt to give the humbler clubs more of a chance of going far against the big transatlantic teams. It has done this by reducing all the rounds to a single match played on the pitch of the lower-category team. However, there is a second leg in the semifinals. This is the only tie in the whole tournament that is played in the traditional double-match format.
In this case the first legs will be played on February 25th and 26th. Atlético de Madrid will visit Barcelona at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, while Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will face each other at the Reale Arena. The second legs, on April 1st and 2nd, will be played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Do away goals count double? Is there extra time in the Copa?
There will be no double value for away goals. If, at the end of the second leg, the overall result of the Copa del Rey semifinals is a draw, there will be a traditional extra time of two fifteen-minute halves. In the event that this is not enough for one of the teams to tip the balance and take the ticket to the final, there will be a penalty shootout.