Xavi and his men locked horns with Real Madrid in the first leg of the semi-final of the Copa del Rey competition. The last time both teams met, the match ended in a 3-1 victory in favor of Barca. The home side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation while Xavi's men started the game in a 4-3-3 formation.
Real Madrid kicked off the game strongly as they pushed for an early lead in the game. The away team sat back in their half hoping to hit Ancelotti's men on a counterattack. The current La Liga winners continued to dominate the game in terms of ball possession but could not create any goal-scoring opportunity to hurt their opponent. Barca gradually got themselves into the game as they tried to create a chance.
Karim Benzema was ruled offside in the 12th minute. Real Madrid went on with their dominance in the game as they tried to create an opportunity in the 18th minute. Xavi's men kept searching for their first attempt of the match as they held possession of the ball.
Vinicius Junior was shown a yellow card in the 24th minute for a challenge on a Barca player. 
The deadlock was finally broken as E. Militao scores an own goal in the 26th minute to put Barcelona ahead in the game. The home side pushed for an equalizer but could not trouble Barca's goalkeeper. Xavi's men tried to create a chance in the 34th minute but Courtois was there to make a save. Both teams struggled to create clear goal-scoring chances to score.
Carvajal missed a good chance to equalize in the 41st minute as he sent his effort widely off target. Raphinha was shown a yellow card for stopping Real Madrid's counterattack in the 45th minute. 
The first 45 minutes ended with Ancelotti's men trailing Barca by a goal to nil.
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