Madrid Rests Stars and Still Whips Lowly Deportiva Minera 5-0 in Copa Del Rey

Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder #10 Luka Modrić runs back with the ball after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on January 3, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder #10 Luka Modrić runs back with the ball after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on January 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Madrid Rests Stars and Still Whips Lowly Deportiva Minera 5-0 in Copa Del Rey

Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder #10 Luka Modrić runs back with the ball after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on January 3, 2025. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder #10 Luka Modrić runs back with the ball after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on January 3, 2025. (AFP)

Real Madrid rested most of its big stars and still hammered fourth tier Deportivo Minera 5-0 to reach the last 16 of the Copa del Rey on Monday.

Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and goalkeeper Ferland Mendy all started on the bench as coach Carlo Ancelotti gave a debut to 17-year-old central defender Diego Aguado, who lined up alongside his elder brother Lorenzo.

Endrick, Brahim Díaz and Arda Güler all got rare starts up front for Real and the visitors took just four minutes to score when Federico Valverde volleyed home.

Eduardo Camavinga headed a second after 12 minutes and a slight deflection helped Güler get a third a quarter of an hour later.

Minera reached the last 32 after beating La Liga side Alaves in the previous round but there was no way back against a vastly superior club that has won this trophy 20 times, especially when Ancelotti gave Vinicius and Mbappé a second half runout.

Captain Luka Modrić added the fourth nine minutes into the second half and Güler got the fifth with two minutes remaining.



Leipzig Player Misses Bundesliga Game after Being Late for Bus

Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose waits for the start of the Champions League soccer match between RB Leipzig and Sporting CP at the RB Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose waits for the start of the Champions League soccer match between RB Leipzig and Sporting CP at the RB Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
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Leipzig Player Misses Bundesliga Game after Being Late for Bus

Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose waits for the start of the Champions League soccer match between RB Leipzig and Sporting CP at the RB Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose waits for the start of the Champions League soccer match between RB Leipzig and Sporting CP at the RB Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

Leipzig defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu missed his team’s Bundesliga match at Augsburg because he was late for the bus, Reuters reported.

Leipzig coach Marco Rose told broadcaster DAZN before Friday’s 0-0 draw that Bitshiabu was supposed to be in the squad, but the 19-year-old French defender failed to show up in time for the team’s bus to the airport that morning.

“Chad missed the departure this morning and therefore also the flight,” Rose said. “So you can’t be there at the end of the day either.”

Bitshiabu could have arguably have made the game traveling by bus. Leipzig is roughly four hours from Augsburg by road, and the match had a late kickoff.

Bitshiabu, who has made 11 league appearances this season for Leipzig, had good chances of playing in Augsburg with captain Willi Orban suspended for his red card against St. Pauli the week before, and Benjamin Henrichs, Xaver Schlager, Assan Ouedraogo and Antonio Nusa all out with injuries.

Rose only had six outfield players available as substitutes, with one seat on the substitutes’ bench left free because of his shortage of players.

Serbian right back Kosta Nedeljković went on to make his Leipzig debut late on.

The draw in Augsburg meant Stuttgart could overtake Leipzig on Saturday with a win at home over Wolfsburg to move fourth, the last place for Champions League qualification.