Copa del Rey: Barcelona 2 - 2 Real Madrid

Barcelona held out for a 4-3 aggregate victory over El Classico rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of their Quarter Final Copa del Ray fixture. The first goal of the game arrived five minutes before half-time, with Pedro finishing off a fine pass from Lionel Messi, who had dribbled his way into space inside the Real Madrid area. Barcelona extended their advantage to a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 when Danny Alves lashed home a 20-yard strike following a re-bound from a free-kick. Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos thought he had reduced the deficit early in the second half, but the referee correctly ruled it out following a tug on Alves by Ramos in the build up to the goal. But Cristiano Ronaldo did spark life back into the tie as he rounded the keeper and slid the ball into the net to bring the game back to 4-2 on aggregate. With 30 minutes still to play, Real Madrid pressed forward and just minutes later found the net again through Karim Benzema. The striker masterfully clipped the ball over Carlos Puyol and calmly finished into the corner on the half-volley. Even as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, Barcelona didn't hold back and continued to seek a decisive third goal. Indeed, center-back Pique found himself inches away from converting a Lionel Messi through-ball only to be denied by a last ditch challenge. Madrid were left to play the last minutes of the game with just 10-men after Sergio Ramos received a second yellow card, and his marching orders, for a seemingly innocuous challenge. The game boiled over soon after, with further yellow cards for Real Madrid players brandished by the referee. But it all played into Barcelona's hands, who saw off the Madrid comeback and progress to the semi-finals of the Copa del Ray. They will face Levante or Valencia... who play tomorrow evening with Valencia leading 4-1 from the first leg.