| Event | 2010–11 Copa del Rey | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Afterextra time | |||||||
| Date | 20 April 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | Mestalla,Valencia | ||||||
| Referee | Alberto Undiano Mallenco | ||||||
| Attendance | 55,000 | ||||||
| Weather | Mostly cloudy 16 °C (61 °F)[1] | ||||||
←2010 2012 → | |||||||
The2011 Copa del Rey final was the 109th final sincethe tournament's establishment (including two seasons where two rival editions were played). The match was a traditional 'El Clásico' rivalry betweenBarcelona andReal Madrid which took place on 20 April 2011 at theMestalla Stadium inValencia, making it the sixth such Copa del Rey final (the most recent in April 1990 at the same venue), just four days after the two teams played each other inLa Liga and seven days before they met in theUEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.
Real Madrid lifted the trophy for the 18th time in their history with a 1–0 victory after extra time. It was Real Madrid's first win in 18 years, having last won the Copa del Rey in1993 againstReal Zaragoza[2][3]
| Barcelona | Round | Real Madrid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Opponent | Result | Legs | |
| Ceuta | 7–1 | 2–0 away; 5–1 home | Round of 32 | Murcia | 5–1 | 0–0 away; 5–1 home |
| Athletic Bilbao | 1–1 (a) | 0–0 home; 1–1 away | Round of 16 | Levante | 8–2 | 8–0 home; 0–2 away |
| Real Betis | 6–3 | 5–0 home; 1–3 away | Quarter-finals | Atlético Madrid | 4–1 | 3–1 home; 1–0 away |
| Almería | 8–0 | 5–0 home; 3–0 away | Semi-finals | Sevilla | 3–0 | 1–0 away; 2–0 home |
The match was scoreless after 90 minutes but there had been numerous scoring chances on both sides.Cristiano Ronaldo was credited with having three good chances in the first half, the last of which was kept out with a one-handed save by Barcelona goalkeeperJosé Manuel Pinto.[3] Barcelona did not have a shot on target in the first half, but in the second they dominated possession, withAndrés Iniesta andPedro both forcing saves from Real Madrid goalkeeperIker Casillas.[4] The game was won in the first period of extra time by the game's only goal, a header from Cristiano Ronaldo from a cross fromÁngel Di María.[3]
The BBC gave credit to Real Madrid managerJosé Mourinho's defensive tactics for keeping Barcelona scoreless.[3] When Barcelona'sXavi, Andrés Iniesta,Lionel Messi andDavid Villa got the ball, they were challenged by two Madrid players.[3] There were many fouls in the match, with the referee issuing eightyellow cards.[5] Real Madrid's Ángel Di María wassent off in the 120th minute after receiving his second booking.[6]
| Barcelona | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report(in Spanish) | Ronaldo 103' |
          Barcelona |      Real Madrid |
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Assistant referees: | Match rules:
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Real Madrid players celebrated their victory that evening by riding adouble-decker bus through Madrid where they were greeted by cheering crowds. While holding the trophy aloft, Real Madrid defenderSergio Ramos dropped the cup in front of the bus, where it was crushed.[7] Ramos later joked that he had not dropped the cup, but that the cup jumped down to meet the fans.[8] The cup was replaced immediately with a spare version and placed in the Real Madrid museum.[7]
