Talavera 2-3 Real Madrid

Real Madrid stumbled to a 3-2 win against Talavera at the Municipal El Prado yesterday. The misfiring Whites went 2-0 up before half-time courtesy of a Kylian Mbappe pen and an own goal from Manuel Ferrando that was also forced by the Frenchman. They were expected to kill the game off in the second but that hardly happened as Talavera found a way back into the game with a goal in the 80th minute, before Mbappe scored again to seemingly put the game to bed at 3-1. The drama was however not over, with Talavera setting up a very nervy ending through Gonzalo Di Renzo’s goal in the 91st minute. Los Blancos however held on for the win.

Xabi Alonso rotated, but started an ultra-attacking side. Kylian Mbappe, Gonzalo Garcia and Endrick were the front three, with a midfield of Dani Ceballos, Arda Guler and Franco Mastantuono behind them. For Talavera, Marcos Moreno and Gonzalo Di Renzo were the two up top in their 442 setup. They were flanked to the left and right by Luis Sanchez and Edu Gallardo.

From minute 1, the Estadio El Prado in Toledo was a cauldron of noise, with over 4,000 passionate supporters hoping to witness a historic Copa del Rey upset. The first significant opening of the contest arrived just four minutes in when Mbappé found a pocket of space and forced a snap shot, but Talavera goalkeeper Jamie González reacted brilliantly, charging off his line to deny the Frenchman an early opener. Despite the early scare, the third-division side showed they were far from passive, employing an energetic press that frequently asked questions of a Madrid backline lacking several regular starters.

As the first half progressed, the focus shifted to Madrid’s young starlet, Endrick, who appeared determined to make an impact ahead of his rumored January loan move. Around the 10-minute mark, Endrick looked particularly lively, seeing two goal-bound efforts blocked by a wall of blue and white defenders within a matter of seconds. Talavera’s defensive organization remained compact, but they weren’t just hunkering down. In the 18th minute, Pitu Doncel whipped a dangerous cross into the box that found Marcos Moreno; the Talavera forward directed a powerful header toward goal, forcing Andriy Lunin into a sharp save to palm the ball behind for a corner.

Madrid responded with a sustained spell of pressure that tested the hosts’ resolve to the limit. In the 20th minute, David Jiménez delivered a precise cross that seemed destined for Endrick at the back post, only for Manuel Farrando to produce a heroic goal-line clearance to keep the match scoreless. Moments later, Gonzalo García rose highest to meet a cross, but his header was turned away by González, who was beginning to look like the hero of the evening. The frustration for the visitors continued as Dani Ceballos unleashed a strike in the 25th minute that flew just inches off the target, and Arda Güler saw a vicious 27th-minute free-kick pushed wide by the inspired González.

Talavera nearly stunned the giants in the 29th minute when Gonzalo Di Renzo muscled through the defense and unleashed a shot that flashed narrowly wide of Lunin’s right-hand post. The game reached a fever pitch just before the break. In the 39th minute, Fran García connected with a header that beat the keeper, only for Álvaro López to clear it off the line. However, the deadlock was finally broken in the 41st minute amidst significant controversy. A Madrid corner appeared to strike the arm of Marcos Moreno in the box; with no VAR available in the early rounds of the competition, the referee pointed to the spot despite Talavera’s furious protests. Mbappé stepped up and coolly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 0–1. Disaster struck again for the hosts in the first minute of stoppage time when an Mbappé cutback took a wicked deflection off Farrando and into his own net, giving Madrid a 2–0 cushion that somewhat flattered them at the interval.

The second half began with Talavera manager Pedro Díaz making a double substitution, introducing Pedro Capo and Sergi Molina to provide fresh impetus for a comeback. Madrid, however, seemed content to control the tempo. In the 52nd minute, Mbappé had a golden opportunity to secure his brace when he raced through one-on-one with González, but he uncharacteristically fired off target. As the hour mark passed and the game entered a slightly duller phase, Xabi Alonso looked to his bench to maintain the intensity. In the 63rd minute, Rodrygo was introduced for Franco Mastantuono, followed shortly after by a double change that saw Jude Bellingham and Aurelién Tchouaméni replace Endrick and Arda Güler.

Güler nearly left his mark before departing, forcing another excellent save from González with a direct free-kick in the 68th minute. Just as it looked like Madrid would cruise to the finish line, the tie exploded back into life. In the 80th minute, Farrando redeemed himself for the own goal by engineering a swift counter-attack down the right, delivering a low cross that Nahuel Arroyo rifled past Lunin to reduce the deficit to 1–2. The momentum had clearly shifted, but Mbappé seemingly settled the nerves seven minutes later. Catching the defense out with a speculative shot from distance, the ball took a bounce and fumbled through the hands of the otherwise excellent González into the net for 1–3.

The drama was far from over. In the 89th minute, Jude Bellingham received a yellow card for a cynical foul, giving Talavera one last chance from a set-piece. In the first minute of added time, Isaiah Navarro curled a free-kick that rattled the crossbar; Gonzalo Di Renzo was the quickest to react, prodding the rebound into the empty net to make it 2–3 and set up a grandstand finish. Talavera pushed every man forward and almost secured an incredible equalizer in the dying seconds. Navarro diverted a Sergi Molina cross goalward from point-blank range, but Lunin produced a world-class, match-winning save, springing to his right to claw the ball away. The final whistle blew moments later, confirming Real Madrid’s place in the last 16 after a match that pushed them to the absolute limit.