Barcelona triumphed in the first battle against rival Real Madrid.
The Catalan club won 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernab&eacute;u Stadium in the first leg of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/robert-lewandowski-may-miss-copa-del-rey-clasico-23272694" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Copa del Rey</a> semifinals on Thursday &iquest; the first of three matches between the Spanish powerhouses in the next few weeks.
Barcelona took the victory with an own-goal by Madrid defender &Eacute;der Milit&atilde;o in the first half.
The rivals will also meet in the Spanish league on March 19 in Barcelona and in the return leg of the Copa semifinals on April 5.
It was also the first match between the rivals since it became public Barcelona paid millions of euros over several years to the vice president of the country's refereeing committee. A banner by Madrid fans at the Bernab&eacute;u said: "Clean and white, never tarnished."
Osasuna defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home on Wednesday in the first leg of the other semifinal.
It was an even match at the Bernab&eacute;u, with the teams struggling to create significant scoring opportunities. Madrid controlled possession but couldn't break through the Barcelona defense, ending the match without any shots on target.
The visitors took the lead in the 26th when the ball careened off Milit&atilde;o after a run into the area by Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessi&eacute;. The goal came after Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga lost possession near midfield. It was initially disallowed for an offside by Kessi&eacute; but later got confirmed after video review.
"I'm satisfied with the result but not with how we played," Barcelona coach Xavi said.
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/karim-benzema-kylian-mbappe-and-lionel-messi-vie-for-best-player-23272521" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi vie for Best Player</a>
"It will be good to play at home in the return leg, with our fans, but I still think that Madrid is the favorite to advance."
Madrid thought it had opened the scoring with Karim Benzema in the 12th but he was offside. Kessi&eacute; came close to adding to Barcelona's lead in the 74th but his shot from the middle of the area was inadvertently deflected near the goal line by teammate Ansu Fati.
Barcelona got the win despite playing without some of its top scorers because of injuries&nbsp; <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/robert-lewandowski-may-miss-copa-del-rey-clasico-23272694" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Robert Lewandowski</a>, Ousmane Demb&eacute;l&eacute; and Pedri, a trio that has combined for 40 goals this season, with 25 coming from Lewandowski. Xavi also couldn't count on central defender Andreas Christensen because of an injury. He started with Marcos Alonso in Christensen's place and Ronald Ara&uacute;jo was improvised in the right back position.
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets played in his 46th "clasico" to surpass former teammate Lionel Messi and Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for most appearances in the game between the clubs.
"It's an important result that gives us a small advantage for the return match at home," Busquets said.
"We were coming off two losses and were missing some players, so this strengthens the group."
Barcelona was coming off a 1-0 loss at Almer&iacute;a in the Spanish league, which marked the first time the Catalan club failed to score since October. Before that, it was eliminated by Manchester United in the Europa League playoffs. It leads Madrid by seven points in the league.
Barcelona defeated Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January but had lost by the same score in the first "clasico" of the season in a league match at the Bernab&eacute;u last year.
Barcelona also got the best of Madrid the last time they met in the Copa, advancing in the 2019 semifinals with a 3-0 win in the second leg at the Bernab&eacute;u.
Madrid was without central defender David Alaba and left back Ferland Mendy because of injuries. Rodrygo was back from injury but started on the bench, with Vin&iacute;cius Junior and Benzema in the starting lineup but not being able to produce much.
"We didn't deserve the loss, we played well," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "It gives us confidence for the return match. If we can do the same in Barcelona, we will have a chance to advance."
A fan was detained by security officials after invading the field at the Bernab&eacute;u.
Barcelona is the club with most Copa titles with 31, eight more than Athletic. Madrid is next with 19, but none since 2014.
The final will be played on May 6 in Seville.
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The Catalan club won 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday the first of three matches between the Spanish powerhouses in the next few weeks

Barcelona edges Madrid in 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinals

Aylmer Fernandes, Aryan Mehta strike as Campion win U-8 MSSA football

The Catalan club won 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday  the first of three matches between the Spanish powerhouses in the next few weeks

Barcelona edges Madrid in 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinals

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Barcelona edges Madrid in 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinals

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