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Barcelona to meet Real Madrid in King�s Cup final

By The Assam Tribune

MADRID, Feb 3 (DPA): The final of the Spanish King�s Cup will be between twin giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, as a result of Wednesday�s semi-final second-leg clashes.

Barca cruised into the final with a comfortable 3-0 win at minnows Almeria, which gave them an emphatic 8-0 aggregate, having won the home leg 5-0 Jan 26.

Real, in contrast, had to sweat and suffer to beat dull Sevilla 2- 0 at home, a result which puts them into the final on a 3-0 aggregate. The whites needed late goals from Mesut Oezil and Emmanuel Adebayor to settle a tedious tie.

Barca and Real have not met in the final since 1990, when Barca won 2-0 in Valencia. Curiously, the final will be played on April 20 � at a venue still to be decided � just four days after the big two clash in Madrid in the league Clasico.

Barca are seven points ahead of Real atop La Liga.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola fielded a reserve-packed side for the second leg in Almeria and was rewarded with an ambitious display from a group of players keen to impress him.

Brazilian left-back Adriano opened the scoring with a handsome solo goal in the 35th minute, breaking free down the left and making it 1-0 with a low drive.

Barca�s second goal also had a Brazilian flavour. Teenage sensation Thiago - son of Brazil�s 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho - played a clever one-two with compatriot Dani Alves and made it 2-0 with a perfect, looping header.

Ten minutes later, newcomer Ibrahim Affelay completed the rout with a fierce shot, after being set up by Keydou Keita. It was the young Dutchman�s first goal for Barca.

�We are pleased because this was an important game for us. Now we have to continue working, with our feet on ground,� said Adriano.

Later on Wednesday, Real had to dig deep to again beat a keen but uninspired Sevilla side.

Real are immersed in a massive internal crisis as a result of Sunday�s 1-0 defeat at lowly Osasuna, and the atmosphere in the Estadio Bernabeu was crisp with tension.

Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo had an early goal disallowed for a narrow offside. Cristiano Ronaldo, suddenly in poor form, should have given Real the lead.

The tension continued until the 82nd minute, when Oezil made it 1- 0 after being played through by fellow German international Sami Khedira.

Sevilla then had right-back Sergio Sanchez sent off for a second ugly foul. Supersub Adebayor, making his home debut, added a second in stoppage time with a handsome volley, after taking a pass from Lassana Diarra on his chest.

The only bad news for Real was a potentially serious knee injury for Khedira right at the end.

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