Cornella 1-4 Real Madrid: Varane scores rare double

Thegoalmac can reveal that Real Madrid opened their Copa del Rey defence with an ultimately comfortable 4-1 win over third-tier side Cornella on Wednesday.


In the first leg of the sides' fourth-round clash, a much-changed Real side were somewhat laboured in securing victory at Espanyol's Estadi Cornella-El Prat home, but did enough to secure a 10th consecutive triumph in all competitions.

 Real made hard work of the first half, but were ahead at the break thanks to two Raphael Varane headers, which sandwiched a stunning equaliser from Cornella's lone striker Oscar Munoz.

The Liga giants' greater quality shone through after the interval as Javier Hernandez quickly established a two-goal cushion.

Real's fourth of the game, and 50th of the season, was scored by Marcelo and ensured a routine win for coach Carlo Ancelotti, who rested a host of key players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Cornella's part-timers will have a chance to impress at the Santiago Bernabeu in the tie's second leg.