Aston Villa newcomer Marco Asensio struck twice in the second half to lead the Premier League team to a 2-0 victory over second-tier Cardiff City on Friday and into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years.
Lamine Yamal exploded into view at 16 and became an integral part of Spain's record fourth European Championship triumph in 2024.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane left out Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in a largely second-string side but not even the injection of youth could breathe life into his team until Asensio's late goal ended a run of three games without a win.
Brazil will face the winners of Tuesday's other semi-final between Spain and Japan in Saitama.
Spain face Ronald Koeman's Netherlands away on Thursday before returning home for the second-leg on March 23.
Spanish winger Asensio cost Real a mere 3.5 million euros from Mallorca in 2014 and entered the game only in the 79th minute but played a decisive role in Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo each scoring late on to give the European champions the edge in the tie.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League Round of 16, Second Leg, matches.
A round-up of the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg matches played on Tuesday.
But just over half an hour into the game at the Al Thumama Stadium, the Costa Ricans had already been blown away and were 3-0 down after goals from Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and a Ferran Torres penalty.
Images from Friday's Premier League matches between Chelsea and Manchester United, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Manchester City spent more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) -- more than the combined amount paid by the other 19 English top-flight clubs in a relatively quiet window.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group E match played between Spain and Costa Rica on Wednesday.
A round-up of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-finals second leg between Barcelona and Dortmund, Aston Villa and Paris St Germain.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester City's spending of more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) was the second-biggest outlay ever worldwide by a club in the January transfer window.
Karim Benzema's seven-minute hattrick saw Real Madrid thrash Real Valladolid 6-0 in their La Liga encounter
A summary of the results of the major European football league matches on the weekend.
Nacho left his team mates stunned as he tried to clear a cross in the 13th minute and headed the ball into the net.
Luis Enrique was sacked as Spain's coach on Thursday after the team's elimination in the last 16 at the World Cup.
A Marco Asensio-inspired Real Madrid crushed Eibar 3-0 to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to five points on Sunday, with Karim Benzema starting on the bench.
Real were smarting from a surprise 1-1 draw at struggling Elche in their last match and were missing captain Sergio Ramos, who was out with a stomach bug.
A tap-in by Karim Benzema and a powerful strike by substitute Marco Asensio earned European champions Real Madrid a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea.
It was the third game in a row in which Real had broken the deadlock thanks to a penalty and they sealed the win when Benzema turned provider and allowed Marco Asensio to tap into an empty net early in the second half.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in the first Clasico of the season in front of 86,422 fans at the Camp Nou on Sunday after a sensational strike from defender David Alaba and a late goal from Lucas Vazquez gave Carlo Ancelotti's side three points.
Marco Asensio followed up his brilliant late goal in Sunday's first leg with a stunning effort from 30 metres in the fourth minute that proved a punishing blow for the Catalans.
Girona's Castellanos hits Real Madrid for four in fresh blow to title hopes
Real Madrid continued their march towards a 35th LaLiga title
Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr. scored second-half goals to earn Real Madrid a solid 2-0 win over struggling Valencia.
Champions Leverkusen, who set a European record of 51 consecutive games without loss across all competitions last season, kept their unbeaten streak intact with a number of late equalisers.
Atletico Madrid have recorded five COVID-19 positives, including manager Diego Simeone
IMAGES from football matches played across European leagues on Saturday
Marco Asensio's strike earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol to send them top of La Liga and Thomas Lemar scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday.
Madrid went into halftime with a three-goal lead after Marco Asensio scored twice in three minutes and debutant Javi Sanchez also got on the scoresheet late in the half.
Spain will beat Russia in Sunday's World Cup last 16 match in Moscow -- at least if you believe Harry, the so-called 'oracle' otter in Sochi who has so far correctly forecast the hosts' two victories and one defeat at the tournament.
Real Madrid need both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up a level to cover for Cristiano Ronaldo's absence and Marco Asensio will also be given a more prominent role.
'Yesterday, he trained normally, and today he's taken this decision. We have accepted it. I spoke to him this morning, and he said he was leaving, and I understood.'
Inter Milan escaped Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
