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| Man of the moment: Gareth Bale (circled) joins his Real Madrid team-mates as they celebrate their triumph over Barcelona on their return to the capital |
Real
Madrid were given a hero's welcome on their return to the Spanish
capital after beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday
night.
World
record signing Gareth Bale scored a wonder goal with four minutes of
the final remaining to seal a 2-1 victory and keep Madrid's hopes of a
treble alive.
Thousands
of Real supporters lined the Madrid streets in appreciation of the La
Liga stars in the early hours of Thursday morning to greet the team back
to the capital.
Party time: Real Madrid supporters line the
street after beating fierce rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final
on Wednesday night
Cheer we go: Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, Pepe,
Nacho, Fabio Coentrao and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate their triumph
against Barcelona with a parade of the trophy
All white on the night: Madrid remain on course for the treble after beating Barcelona in Wednesday night's showdown
Champions: The Spanish giants parade the trophy in front of their supporters after a 2-1 triumph in the Copa del Rey final
Time to celebrate: The Real Madrid stars were given a hero's welcome after their 2-1 victory over rivals Barcelona
Night owls: The Real Madrid bus is greeted by thousands of enthusiastic supporters in the Spanish capital
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had
earlier hailed Bale after the Welshman's late goal sunk Barcelona and
delivered Real the Copa del Rey for the 19th time in their history.
The
former Tottenham forward galloped towards goal and had to swerve off
the pitch to beat Barcelona defender Marc Bartra before sliding the ball
through the legs of goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.
The
goal came after Bartra had pulled Barcelona back into the game with a
powerful header, which cancelled out Angel Di Maria's first-half opener.
It was Bale's first match-winning goal since joining Madrid from Spurs last summer for a world-record fee.
'It was his most important goal, it was the most defining moment of the game,' Ancelotti said.
Midfielder
Xabi Alonso added: 'The goal was incredible, I don't think I've seen
anything like it. It looked like the ball was going out and he was under
pressure, he ran off the pitch to keep it in, it was just amazing.
'Now we have the taste of victory. It was a really exciting game, with both sides playing at their best.'
The
win earned Ancelotti his first trophy since succeeding Jose Mourinho as
the Madrid boss last summer, and kept the team's hopes of winning a
treble alive.
Flying high: Bale celebrates in front of the Barcelona supporters after clinching the Copa del Rey trophy for Real Madrid
Up for the cup: Bale and team-mate Luka Modric,
who played together at Tottenham, pose with the Copa del Rey trophy
following their triumph
Pure delight: The £86million world record signing wheels away in celebration after his late winner in the Copa del Rey final
Real party: Madrid fans were all smiles after watching their side win the Copa del Rey final
Ancelotti added: 'I think we
played very well, we were playing against a very strong team. We had to
suffer at times but I think it is a deserved victory. We are very proud
to have won this competition.
'More
than anything I want to congratulate the players. The atmosphere inside
the stadium from both sets of supporters was fantastic, I am happy to
be here and to have experienced this spectacle.'
Next
up for Real is their Champions League semi-final tie with holders
Bayern Munich,while they trail La Liga leaders and city rivals Atletico
Madrid by three points with five games of the campaign to go.
Happy snapper: Bale takes a photo of the adoring Madrid fans as the team bus passes through the city
Smiles better: Bale looks like he's having a whale a of a time alongside former Spurs team-mate Luka Modric (second right)
Barcelona, meanwhile, look set
for their first season without a trophy since 2008, knocked out of the
Champions League by Atletico and four points adrift of Diego Simeone's
side in the table.
However, Ancelotti refused to
write off the Catalans. 'You cannot say Barcelona are finished, not
everything has gone well for them this season but I think they will
remain hopeful of achieving something until the end of the season,' he
said.
'We can say from
experience this season that playing against Barcelona is very, very
difficult. At times you need a bit of luck to win. In my opinion Barca
are not a team at the end of an era. They are still very dangerous.'
Barca
boss Gerardo Martino could not hide his disappointment at his side's
third straight defeat. 'Obviously this is not a happy time for us,' he
said.
First of many? The world record signing will be hoping to complete a treble in his debut season at the Bernabeu
'It has been a very hard week for us but there is nothing else we can do but look ahead to what is left of the league season.
'It is a very hard blow to take, the expectation on us today was huge and it was a final so everyone was desperate to win.'
However, the beleaguered coach vowed to keep going until the end of the campaign.
'I
am hurting due to the defeat and for the people that came here with
great expectations to support us, but we still have a lot left in the
tank,' he said.
'There is no recipe for recovery. The league doesn't look favourable for us but we are obliged to fight on until the last day
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