Copa del Rey wrap: Benzema saves Real´s blushes

Real Madrid scored three times in the last 25 minutes to beat Malaga 3-2 in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.

In the first leg of their round of 16 meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real started slowly and were punished when Sergio Sanchez opened the scoring after just 10 minutes.

And with less than half an hour gone, Malaga led by two goals as Argentine defender Martin Demichelis beat Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas to head home.

Real came out determined in the second half and they pulled a goal back on 68 minutes when German midfielder Sami Khedira went on a driving run before he lashed the ball past Malaga keeper Wilfredo Cabellero.

Just two minutes later, Real equalised as a shocking Sanchez backpass was intercepted by Gonzalo Higuain.

The Argentine international gathered the ball and rounded Cabellero before hitting the back of the net from a tight angle to level proceedings.

Real scored their third in 10 minutes as Karim Benzema bagged a 78th minute winner.

Benzema benefited from a clever Ronaldo flick before sliding a neat finish into the back of the net.

Malaga host the second leg at La Rosaleda on January 10 with a quarter-final place in the tournament at stake.

In other round of 16 matches, second-tier outfit Alcorcon beat Levante 2-1 at home thanks to goals from Francisco Borja and Alberto Nagore. Miguel pallardo scored for the losers.

Another upset occurred at Mirandes as the third-tier side beat Racing Santander of La Liga 2-0, with Pablo and Martins scoring for the winners while Albacete played out a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid.