Real Madrid claimed the derby spoils for the second time in as many weeks to reach the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey while AC Milan comfortably progressed to the last eight of the Coppa Italia.
José Mourinho’s men, aiming for a first cup triumph since 1993, held a 3-1 lead against Atletico Madrid heading to the Vicente Calderón and they extended their overall advantage midway through the first half when Sergio Ramos found space on the right flank and whipped in a low cross that Cristiano Ronaldo rifled into the roof of the net.
Atlético offered little in response without the services of the injured Sergio Agüero, allowing Madrid to secure a semi-final meeting with Sevilla, the return leg taking place at the Santiago Bernabéu. Barcelona versus Almería is the other tie, both taking place over two legs in the coming two weeks.
Milan suffered few scares either as they overcame Bari 3-0 to move into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. On 19 minutes, Robinho led a counterattack before releasing Zlatan Ibrahimović to finish with a sublime curling effort. Robinho set up the second too, pulling a cross back from the byline for 18-year-old Alexander Merkel to fire in his first for the club on the stroke of half-time.
The provider turned goalscorer to wrap up the victory on 65 minutes, ensuring Milan visit Sampdoria in the last eight on Wednesday. In the other quarter-final ties next week, Napoli play Inter Milan, Juventus face Roma and Palermo take on Parma.
