Fede Valverde hailed Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema after victory over Barcelona in last night's Copa del Rey semifinal.

Real shocked Barca 4-0 at the Nou Camp, with Vini Jr opening the scoring before Karim Benzema's hat-trick. Real reach the final 4-1 on aggregate.

Valverde said, “The important thing was to win it. It's hugely satisfying because it wasn't easy to win here. Being a goal down to Barcelona is always going to be difficult. We played some great football in the second half and we made the most of our chances. When you concede a goal at the end of the first half, as happened to us in the first leg, your mind plays a crucial role. After the break they gave us a lot of space and we were able to convert the opportunities we created.

“Now we have to enjoy another final for Real Madrid, with this club. We deserve to be here. It was incredible. I'm delighted for everyone who is part of Real Madrid. We have to enjoy this win, it's special. It's fantastic to get the win and book our place in the final. I don't care about the result, I'm happy with any time we win and I try and enjoy the moment. Playing in a final is a huge responsibility but we will go there with the utmost respect for Osasuna. It's going to be a brilliant final.

“It was fairly similar to the Champions League game against Liverpool. We started off calmly, we were patient in defence and then we started to find spaces and enjoy ourselves. We showed real patience and we were able to defend when we had to. Everyone got involved in the game and it came off really well."

On Benzema, he added: “He's unbelievable. I don't care how many goals he gets, he's an inspiration for everyone, an example to follow. He's Real Madrid's goal scorer, the Ballon d'Or holder and whenever he's on the pitch, we have to try and get the best out of him and enjoy it."