Rodrygo shakes off Cacereño's mousetrap and sends Madrid to the round of 16 of the Cup

• Direct This is how we live it

The illusion of the little

received the restlessness of the giant

, saved by a brilliant slalom by

that led him to the

of the

.

It was the smile and courage of the

team, the fourth category of Spanish football, against the timid laziness of the

champions , on the rocky road to their first Cup since 2014. The smallest of the three major competitions that dispute every year is also the one with which the

team has the least

.

The Cup lacks the divinity of the Champions League.

And perhaps that is what Madrid suffers the most, eager for epic moments in legendary environments.

That is also perhaps why they have won

and only

in the last 25 seasons.

At the Príncipe Felipe de Cáceres, Madrid met the Cup face to face.

A

, a three-hour

trip , as so many teams do every weekend, away from the first world of football, fans dedicated to the local cause and a rival with more desire than fear, launched after that

to connect and promote a Buddhist center to be built in Cáceres.

Quite a

.

Ancelotti gave

and

(who held a part before getting injured) two starts that they had not seen for months, he rotated with

and opted for

and

, who two weeks ago were playing in the World Cup final in Qatar.

At his side,

, the most active in a thick start in which they hardly played.

The grass, heavy, favored high balls and harmed combinations, something that was appreciated by a Cacereño who bet everything on intensity.

His, a lot, especially that of

, and that of his rival, little at times.

Madrid had some approach thanks to the starts from Rodrygo and Asensio, but Moreno's goal did not worry.

Neither did Extremadura, who insistently sought the band of a nervous Odriozola and who were convinced by the draw as the minutes passed.

The match was played over 50 meters, with no arrivals in the area and with a lot of fighting in the midfield, where Tchouaméni and Camavinga were uncomfortable when the ball was released due to the constant pressure from the rival midfield.

Ancelotti noticed it, who at half-time withdrew the ex from

and brought on

, more upright, more intense... More than what the whites needed.

The entry of the Uruguayan freed Camavinga more as a pivot, the Frenchman happier in that dominant role.

The passing of the minutes, the

, the desire for a historic opportunity and his physical exhaustion caused the game to break down, benefiting a Madrid that began to find holes in the rival defense.

Asensio tried first, with a powerful shot, his best to date, which Moreno safely deflected.

And after game time, when the tables lifted the illusion to the sky of Cáceres,

at the top of the local area, dribbled past two defenders and sent the ball to the left corner of Iván Moreno.

It was the only flash of talent in a cloudy game.

A

, an idol of Brazil for him and a

who also saw him grow.

His hands to heaven were for him.

Before the 0-1, Ancelotti had already made an important decision.

He sent a

back to the bench and opted for the young

, an 18-year-old, 1.93-meter striker who is still deciding between Spain and Uruguay and who has scored five goals for Castilla in the

.

Rodrygo's goal took the pressure off him to be the emergency solution.

Madrid is already in the round of 16, which it will reach after a demanding Spanish Super Cup in Arabia and before the hypothetical quarterfinals of the Cup and the Club World Cup.

skyline

.

That will be in February, in the European elite.

Before, the street of the Cup.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Rodrygo Goes

• Spain Supercup

• Aurélien Tchouaméni

• Alvaro Odriozola

• Real Madrid