Varane strikes twice as Real Madrid thump Cornella in Copa
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane struck twice in their Copa del Rey win over Cornella.
Varane's unlikely brace helped Real Madrid to a 4-1 over Cornella as they began their Copa del Rey defence with ease on Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti took the chance to give some of his stars a rest, with Cristiano Ronaldo left out of the squad at the Estadio Municipal de la Via Ferria, but he still put out a strong team that was more than a match for their Segunda B Division opponents.
Varane took full advantage of slack marking to head home the opening goal after 10 minutes, before Munoz briefly restored parity for the hosts. But Cornella failed to heed the warnings of Real's first effort and Varane, again, found space at the near post to nod Los Blancos into a 2-1 half-time lead.
Javier Hernandez, on loan at the Bernabeu from Manchester United, notched his fourth goal for Los Blancos in the 53rd minute and Marcelo added gloss to the scoreline with a fourth for the holders 15 minutes from time.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "We were good and played a serious game. The players who were involved can be happy with themselves for putting on a great spectacle."
"Cornellà played well and deserved their goal. They worked extremely well, were well organised and fought hard. The atmosphere was excellent and we had a lot of supporters cheering us on in the stadium."