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Barcelona fought off a spirited comeback from Real Madrid to draw their Copa Del Rey Quarter-final second leg 2-2, a result which saw them edge out the reigning cup holders 4-3 on aggregate. Coming into the game with a one-goal advantage, Barcelona went two further goals ahead via Pedro and Dani Alves just before halftime, but were pegged back by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the second period. Los Blancos however could not find the decisive third goal, with Barcelona advancing to the semifinals of the cup competition.

Needing to overturn a first leg deficit on the road, Real almost had a dream start to the encounter at the Nou Camp, coming close to scoring within 11 seconds of the kickoff. Gonzalo Higuain stole the ball inside the Barcelona half from Gerard Pique and advanced towards goal, only for his strike to roll past Barca goalkeeper Pinto's goal. Higuain had another chance to score a minute later, his header this time denied by Pinto.

Jose Mourinho's men continued to press the hosts, and talisman Ronaldo again tested Pinto on a counterattack after Kaka spread the ball to Portuguese international, the keeper doing well to parry away. Barcelona were looking uncharacteristically shaky in possession, and hardly had a decent chance on Real Madrid's goal, while Los Blancos had a shot bounce off the underside of the post in the 30th minute. This time it was Mesut Ozil who released a smacking drive from 30 yards and was unlucky to see the ball come back off the woodwork.

Pinto surely wasn't making things easy for himself as he dallied in possession and eventually horribly misplaced his pass straight to Higuain. Luckily for him, the striker's attempt on goal fell straight down his throat, Pinto gleefully accepting.

Pedro came on for the injured Iniesta soon afterwards, and it was the young Spaniard who put the hosts ahead with their first shot on target in the 43rd minute. Messi's run through the heart of the Real defence saw a bunch of Real players get dragged towards him, allowing Pedro to run onto the Argentine's dinked pass free on the left flank. The striker in turn applied a smart finish past Iker Casillas to give Barcelona the lead quite against the run of play.

That lead was doubled only three minutes later through Dani Alves, and what a goal it was, as the fullback picked up the loose ball after a Barca freekick rebounded off Lassana Diarra. Alves received the ball on the edge of the area and hit an unstoppable strike into the top left corner of the net to give the hosts a three-goal advantage in the tie and deflate the Madrid side after what was an enterprising half of football from them.

The visitors were down but not out just yet, as they scored two goals in the space of five minutes to fight right back into the game. The first of those goals was scored by Ronaldo, who was played in on goal by Ozil. The Portuguese international rounded Pinto before tapping into an unguarded net to finally score Real's first of the game.

That goal was soon followed by Benzema's, as the substitute showed great skill to flick the ball over Puyol and finish calmly into the corner of the net to bring the scores level on the night.

With Madrid pushing hard for the decisive third goal and Barcelona trying to hold on, tempers started flaring, and eventually the expected El Clasico red card did come, with Sergio Ramos sent off for a foul on Sergio Busquets, a second bookable offence, two minutes from time. Pedro had a late chance to kill off the game but couldn't beat Casillas with his header, but it mattered little at the end as Barca progressed to the semifinals of the competition at the expense of Real Madrid after a spirited effort from the visitors.

Teams :

Barcelona (4-3-3) - Pinto, Alves, Abidal, Pique, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Sanchez, Cesc, Messi

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) - Casillas, Arbeloa, Coentrao, Pepe, Ramos, Diarra, Alonso, Kaka, Ozil, Ronaldo, Higuain

Final Scoreline :

Barcelona 2 (4) - 2 (3) Real Madrid

Scorers :

Barcelona - Pedro 43', Alves 45'

Real Madrid - Ronaldo 68', Benzema 72'