Deportivo Minera 0-5 Real Madrid: Match review

Real Madrid steamrolled past the fourth division side Deportivo Minera in the Copa Del Rey round of 32, defeating the home side 0-5.

Fede Valverde was a surprising inclusion in what was otherwise a young but strong lineup, with an impressive mix of experience and raw talent.

From the kickoff, Los Blancos looked the much superior side and it took Valverde just 5 minutes to put them into the lead through a volley – this was the Uruguayan’s first goal from inside the box this season.

It was Eduardo Camavinga who soon joined the party, scoring his first goal of the season with a header from Fran Garcia’s cross.

The home side tried their luck just twice throughout the half and one of which was from the halfway line as they tried to catch Andriy Lunin off guard.

Arda Güler joined the scorers after his shot took a deflection and ended up in the bottom left corner to put Real Madrid 0-3 up in just half an hour.

Despite conceding 3 goals in the opening half, Minera’s goalkeeper Fran Martinez made a staggering 10 saves in the 45 minutes, making sure his side does not suffer more damage.

But that was not to be, after Luka Modric and Brahim Díaz indulged in a sumptuous 1-2 and with the Moroccan assisting the Croatian to further extend Madrid’s lead.

Soon after, in the 63rd minute, Carlo Ancelotti decided to bring on Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Lucas Vazquez and Chema. Fran Martinez, the Deportivo Minera goalkeeper, said after the match that he was surprised to watch Mbappe and Vinicius come on, and that this happens just once in a lifetime.

This change resulted in Endrick playing down the right wing, Vinicius on the left, and Mbappe through the middle. Endrick in particular was having a great game despite being unable to finish a few easy chances.

Arda Güler ended up scoring the 5th and final goal of the night, with Fran García recording his 2nd assist of the match.

Real Madrid advance to the next round of the Copa Del Rey, and they will find out their opponents for this stage in a draw to be held on 8th January.

Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, was full of praise for Endrick, reiterating that the youngster looked good and would be scoring a lot of goals in the future.

Real Madrid now travel to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Spanish Super Cup, where they take on Mallorca in the semi-final.