Luis Suarez scored twice to inspire Barcelona past Real Madrid and into the Copa del Rey final and teach rising madrid star Vinicius a painful lesson.
With the semi-final finely poised at 1-1 going into the return leg, it was Suarez’s second-half double, as well as a Raphael Varane own goal, which proved decisive as holders Barcelona reached a sixth-straight Copa del Rey final.
The 3-0 victory on enemy territory came after a series of missed chances for Real, who will have to brush off the defeat quickly with another Clasico on the horizon this Saturday.
It proved to be a tough evening for Vinicius Jr on his home Clasico debut.
The 18-year-old was at the heart of every Real chance in the first half, but failed to convert four opportunities, sending two of those attempts over when he arguably should have hit the target.
Vinicius is undoubtedly a star in the making, but the winger evidently needs to fine-tune his finishing, and Wednesday night proved to be a harsh reminder of what the consequences can be.
It was 32-year-old Suarez who delivered such a lesson after the break. Following a frustrating first half, the Uruguayan scored with Barcelona’s first attempt on target, calmly letting the ball roll over onto his right foot before slotting it in at the near post beyond Keylor Navas.
Suarez, who had gone five games without a goal before scoring at Sevilla on Saturday, then had the audacity to score a Panenka at the Bernabeu for his second on the night, proving confidence can be reignited regardless of the rut you may have been in.
Vinicius will have taken notes.