Real Madrid have booked their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey after recording a 6-1 win over Segunda B side Cultural Leonesa in the second leg of their last-32 clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos entered the match holding a 7-1 lead from the first leg in October and it proved to be another comfortable night for the Madrid giants, who had their manager's son Enzo Zidane among the scorers.
It took just 23 seconds for Real Madrid to make the breakthrough on the night, with Marco Asensio taking advantage of some lacklustre defending before squaring the ball into Mariano Diaz, who could not miss from close range.
Cultural Leonesa actually had a half-chance of their own moments later when Pepe took too long to clear inside his own box, but Benja, who scored in the first leg, just could not nip in ahead of Kiko Casilla.
The home side had the ball in the back of the net for a second time in the 17th minute, but Mariano was offside when he turned home from close range. Martin Odegaard, making his first ever Real Madrid start, was the star turn in the opening 20 minutes as the Norway international impressed with a series of flicks and tricks in forward positions.
James Rodriguez doubled the home side's lead in the 23rd minute after heading a brilliant Dani Carvajal cross past Leandro Monteagud, and it got worse for Cultural Leonesa in the final minutes of the first half when Mariano collected a threaded pass from Carvajal before smashing the ball into the top corner for his second.
It did appear that Real Madrid would take a three-goal lead into the break, but Cultural Leonesa had other ideas and had one back in the 45th minute when Spanish midfielder Yeray Gonzalez found a route past Casilla courtesy of a thumping strike.
Zinedine Zidane introduced his eldest son Enzo Zidane in one of two changes at the interval, but the first chance of the second period fell to the visitors - Benja just missing the target from inside the Real Madrid box.
Odegaard, who impressed on the night, came close to a fourth for the home side before the hour, but the 17-year-old's strike from distance just missed the target during an end-to-end period of the Copa del Rey contest.
Enzo Zidane famously got his name on the scoresheet in the 63rd minute when the 21-year-old squeezed the ball past Monteagud from inside the box, although clear opportunities were few and far between in the period that followed as both managers made use of their bench ahead of league fixtures at the weekend.
Alvaro Tejero almost made it five for Real Madrid on his debut late on, but the Castilla full-back hit the post from inside the box. There was time for two more goals, though, as Mariano completed his hat-trick two minutes from time, before an own-goal from Cesar Morgado made it 6-1 in the 90th minute.
Matt Law
