Abidal goal hands Barca advantage

BARCELONA maintained their hex over bitter rivals Real Madrid by coming from behind to win 2-1 in a tense Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu last night.

Real Madrid had a dream start when Karim Benzema played a glorious ball behind the Barcelona defence and Cristiano Ronaldo’s low strike went through the legs of stand-in Barcelona goalkeeper Pinto.

But, just as was the case in the La Liga before Christmas, Real Madrid couldn’t hold on to the lead against a Barcelona side that monopolised possession for long periods.