Barcelona 4 Real Madrid (1-4 agg): Benzema scores a hat-trick as Ancelotti’s men rush into the Copa del Rey final

KARIM Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat arch-rivals and leaders Barcelona 4-0 to reach the Copa del Rey final in stunning fashion on Wednesday.

Barca, who were aiming for a fourth straight Clasico win this season, looked set for the final after clinching a 1-0 win in the first leg of the semifinals in Madrid last month.

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But after dominating the early stages of the second leg, they improbably fell apart, losing 4-1 on aggregate.

It came after Barcelona supporters heard Lionel Messi’s name chanted in the 10th minute amid speculation about his potential return.

Vinicius Jr put Real in first-half injury time ahead after a blitz counterattack.

And the semi-final was turned on its head when Benzema swung a shot into the corner from a pass by Luka Modric five minutes into the second half.

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Eight minutes later, Vinicius was fouled in the penalty area and Benzema fired his penalty past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

With taunts in the Nou-Camp, Barcelona tried to respond but it was Real Madrid who were more likely to be unable to stop their record with Benzema.

In the 80th minute, he was set up again by Vinicius to complete his second hat-trick in a few days.

The Frenchman also scored a treble in the 6-0 loss to Real Valladolid on Sunday.

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The game then got fiery as it came to an end as Barcelona started targeting Vinicius and knocked him down on several occasions.

It came after Barca boss Xavi was cautioned earlier in the game over objections to the referee.

And in the toxic atmosphere, Barca fans mocked their own players as they stalked off at the end of the game.

In the game against Osasuna, Real counts on the chances of lifting the trophy for the 20th time.

Osasuna reached the final after beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on Tuesday.

Real Madrid still has a chance to win two trophies this season as they are also in the quarter-finals of the Champions League where they meet Chelsea.

But Barcelona look nailed for LaLiga as they have a 12-point lead over Real with just 11 games remaining.

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