Real Madrid were unable to complete an epic comeback victory over Real Zaragoza despite a storming 4-0 win at the Bernabeu in the return leg of their King's Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Real, who were crushed 6-1 in last week's first leg, gave Zaragoza an almighty scare as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes courtesy of quick-fire goals from Brazilian trio Cicinho, Robinho and Ronaldo.
Yet another Brazilian, Roberto Carlos, made it 4-0 just after the hour with a trademark rocket shot to set up a grandstand finish and Zaragoza looked as though they were about to fold as they struggled to stem the tide of Real attacks.
But despite a nerve-riddled performance in the final half hour the visitors managed to hang on to their narrow lead and claim a 6-5 aggregate victory that earned them a place in their third Cup final in six seasons.
Zaragoza will face either Espanyol or Deportivo Coruna in the final which is due to take place in April.
"We knew something like this might happen and conceding three goals in 10 minutes made things hard, but we managed to hold out and achieve what we wanted," said Zaragoza coach Victor Munoz.
Real, who have not won a major trophy since June 2003, had made set their sights on winning the Cup this season, but in the end fell just short of achieving their objective.
Some 70,000 fans had been drawn to the Bernabeu by talk of a Real Madrid comeback and they were brought to their feet inside the first minute when Brazilian fullback Cicinho fired a thundering 25-metre drive into the back of the net to put them 1-0 up.
The fans were still celebrating when Real snatched a second, this time Robinho steered home at the far post after Ronaldo had clipped the ball across the area from the right.
And they were in a state of near delirium in the 10th minute when Ronaldo made it 3-0 as he stabbed the ball into the net from 10 metres out after David Beckham had swept in an inch-perfect cross from the right.
STUNNED
Zaragoza were stunned by Real's whirlwind start and nerves appeared to get the better of them as they made a series of errors in midfield and looked uncharacteristically shaky in defence.
They did manage one dangerous attack when Cani wafted a cross into the area, but Real keeper Iker Casillas produced a brilliant reflex save to turn Ewerthon's point-blank header over the bar.
Opposite number Cesar, Casillas's former stand-in at Real, made an equalling good save to stop Real going 4-0 up when he blocked a close-range effort from Zinedine Zidane midway through the half.
Real kept up the breathless pace for the remainder of the half, but Zaragoza managed to keep them at bay until the break.
A nervous Zaragoza looked even more edgy when they stepped out for the second half and limited themselves to kicking the ball out of play as they were unable to stem the tide of Real Madrid attacks.
They conceded a fourth just after the hour courtesy of yet another of their Brazilian players, this time Roberto Carlos send a trademark rocket shot fizzing into the back of the net following a free-kick routine.
Zaragoza looked as though they would cave in completely as they were pinned back in their area by wave after wave of Real attacks.
Zidane almost snatched the crucial fifth goal when he got his foot to a swirling Beckham cross, but his shot squirmed onto the bar and Zaragoza hung on to claim their place in the final.