FC Barcelona, Real Madrid battle to 1-1 draw in first leg of Copa del Rey

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- FC Barcelona and Real Madrid fought to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal Wednesday at Camp Nou.

Lucas Vazquez scored six minutes into the contest for Real Madrid. Barcelona's Malcom, who started in place of Lionel Messi, scored the game's equalizing goal in the 57th minute to salvage the draw.

Malcom's tally was his third official goal with Barcelona. He joined Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Gerard Pique, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pedro Rodriguez, David Villa, Jeffren Suarez, Neymar, Marc Bartra and Arturo Vidal as the only players this century to score for Barcelona in their first career game against Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old Malcom struggled to earn playing time since joining the team from Bordeaux last July. Messi suffered a thigh injury over the weekend against Valencia, giving Malcom a boost to his game time.

Barcelona held Messi out of the starting lineup against Real Madrid, but he appeared as a second-half substitute in the final 30 minutes of the match.

Barcelona extended its unbeaten run at Camp Nou. The team hasn't lost at home in the Spanish Cup since a defeat against Real Madrid on Feb. 26, 2013. Barcelona is 18-0-2 in its last 20 home matches in the Copa del Rey.

The second leg takes place Feb. 27 at the Santiago Bernabeu.