Rodrygo bagged two goals as Real Madrid turned on the style to see off a resolute Osasuna side 2-1 in the 2023 Copa del Rey final.
It was a nightmare start for Osasuna in just their second ever Copa del Rey final. In just the second minute, Vinicius Junior waltzed into the penalty box and picked out countryman Rodrygo, whose deflected shot looped over Sergio Herrera in goal.
They Navarrese side didn’t lose heart, however, and just five minutes later, Courtois had to make two saves. Routine work for the Belgian, but it was a sign of Osasuna’s intent.
Their best chance of the first half would come through Barcelona loanee Abde, whose chipped effort had Thibaut Courtois beaten, but may have already been heading wide before Dani Carvajal diverted it to safety.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, would hit the bar through a David Alaba free kick and see Vini Jr go close with a bending effort. The Brazilian was causing trouble constantly and looked likely to make something happen every time he touched the ball.
The second half was a bit more open, with Los Merengues looking dangerous but not seizing control of the game.
Then, in the 58th minute, Osasuna levelled it. Abde crossed the ball and it fell to Lucas Torro at the edge of the box and his technique was spot on as he zipped a low half-volley into the bottom left-hand corner of Courtois’ goal, sending the travelling Osasuna fans into raptures.
Parity didn’t last long, however, and it came from Vini Jr causing havoc once again. Osasuna failed to clear their lines after a Vinicius cutback and the ball broke to Rodrygo in a fortunate position who was able to lift the ball over Herrera.
Late on, it looked like Vinicius might finally get the goal he clearly craved when he was played in behind. Selflessly, and perhaps erroneously, however, the Brazilian squared to Benzema but the pass didn’t have enough on it.
Osasuna continued to push for an equaliser but struggled to create meaningful chances as Madrid saw the game out relatively comfortably.
The best chance arguably fell to Kike Barja in the box, but once more it was Carvajal who was on hand to apply sufficient pressure to keep danger at bay.
There was to be no first Copa title for Osasuna, but instead a 20th for Real Madrid and their first since 2014. The big games don’t stop coming either, with home and away games against Manchester City in the next 11 days in the Champions League semi-final.
With one title in the bag, the Champions League may now truly define Madrid’s season, along with whether they can recover second place in LaLiga Santander, having been recently overtaken by Atletico as Barcelona run away with the league.
