Real Madrid: 40 games without defeat as Benzema strikes

Real Madrid's record-breaking unbeaten run reached 40 games on Thursday when Karim Benzema equalised with the final kick of the game against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey clash.

The result means that Madrid have broken Barcelona's Spanish record of 39 games without defeat and are just a handful of games away from beating Juventus's record of 43 games – seen as the benchmark of the modern era in Europe's big leagues.

Real went into the game with little to play for after winning the first leg of the cup tie 3-0, and Zidane sent out a weakened team shorn of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Los Blancos's long unbeaten run appeared to be over with Sevilla leading 3-1 with just 15 minutes remaining. However, Real refused to accept defeat. Sergio Ramos pulled one back with an 83rd minute penalty before Benzema snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

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"With seconds remaining, Marcelo fed Benzema in the area and the Frenchman struck a right-footed shot past the Sevilla goalkeeper David Soria as Real progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6-3 aggregate win," reports The Guardian.

The goal "will go down as a mere footnote in Copa history, but will be long remembered in Real Madrid lore as the goal that bested Barcelona in the unbeaten history books", says the Spanish paper Marca.

Zinedine Zidane's team have not lost a competitive match since they were beaten 2-0 by Wolfsburg in the quarter finals of the Champions League in April last year. They recovered from that 2-0 setback in Germany to win the second leg 3-0 and went on to lift the trophy.

The draw against Sevilla means Madrid boss "Zidane has still won more trophies – the 2015-16 Champions League, 2016 UEFA Super Cup and 2016 Club World Cup – than he has lost games, having seen defeat just twice since taking over a year ago," says ESPN.

"Juventus hold the all-time record among clubs in the top five European leagues for their unbeaten run of 43 matches in all competitions, set when current Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was in charge in 2011-12."

The 40-game streak equals Nottingham Forest's unbeaten run in 1978. If Madrid's form continues, they will equal the Juventus record against Malaga on 21 January and could surpass it against Celta Vigo four days later.

However, Uefa notes that Zidane's team still have some way to go before they can match Celtic's 62-game unbeaten run which began on 13 November 1915 and lasted until 21 April 1917, when they lost to Kilmarnock.