Fernando Torres scored twice as Atletico Madrid ended Real Madrid’s defense of the Copa del Rey title with a 2-2 draw on Thursday, maintaining their dominance over their crosstown rival this season.
Atletico advanced 4-2 on aggregate and will play Barcelona in the quarterfinals after they won 4-0 at Elche to progress 9-0 over both legs.
Torres stunned the Santiago Bernabeu by striking from Antoine Griezmann’s pass seconds into the Spanish capital derby.
Sergio Ramos made it 1-1 soon after, but Atletico hung on until Griezmann set up Torres for his second goal just after the half-time restart.
Cristiano Ronaldo leveled the score again in an otherwise subdued night that he began by parading his Ballon d’Or trophy, leaving Real needing three more goals in 36 minutes to advance.
“Scoring so early set us on our way,” Torres said. “I’m happy for our fans who have come, and for scoring my first two goals in my return at a ground I had never scored at.”
Since losing last season’s Champions League final to Real, Diego Simeone’s team has beaten their main rivals in the Spanish Super Cup, the league, and the Copa del Rey.Their record against Real is now four wins, three draws, and three losses since it broke a 14-year, 25-match winless streak with a victory in the 2013 Copa del Rey final.
“We have eliminated the best team in the world,” Simeone said.
Madrid continued to sputter with only one win in four matches since finishing 2014 on a Spanish record 22-win streak.
“Losing is never good, but you always have to be positive,” said Ronaldo. “The team is going to improve and we are alive in the Spanish league and the Champions League. Real is the biggest club in the world and always wants to win, although sometimes you have to take a step backward to later take two forward.”
Hyped for a comeback, the Real faithful greeted Atletico’s bus with a sea of raucous supporters that Spanish police had to part with officers on horseback.
The atmosphere inside was equally charged, but Atletico needed only 50 seconds to silence the crowd, except for the red-and-white contingent which exploded in rapture when Torres got his first goal in three games since returning to his boyhood club.
Siqueira intercepted Ramos’ long ball, and three quick passes launched Griezmann on the break. He flew by Pepe and put his cross past Ramos for Torres to score a left-footed volley.
Real now needed four goals to go through, and they found their first in the 20th when Torres fouled Ronaldo to set up a Toni Kroos free kick that Ramos headed in after goalkeeper Jan Oblak fell.
The hosts continued to bombard Atletico’s area with crosses and long-range shots, as the defending league champions dug in until half-time.
The second half started with another erred pass by Ramos that Griezmann latched onto before dribbling into the box and laying on for Torres, who cut back to bring Pepe to his knees before squeezing the ball under goalie Keylor Navas to crush Real’s hopes.
Ronaldo got his goal when he slipped around Diego Godin to nod in Gareth Bale’s short cross.
Atletico, however, were in control the rest of the way, with Koke and substitute Arda Turan keeping possession as Real faded.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique left Lionel Messi and most of his first-choice players out of the squad to face Elche with the tie already all but won. And it made little difference as goals by Jeremy Mathieu, Sergi Roberto, Pedro Rodriguez and Adriano saw Barca safely through.
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
