Caballero's standout performance was spoiled when he
tried to hold Karim Benzema's low shot but let it slip through his arms and
between his legs in the 72nd minute, sending Madrid through 4-2 on aggregate.
Caballero slammed his hands on the ground in frustration
after the goal, which was Benzema's fourth goal in three games and came from
his first touch after having replaced Gonzalo Higuain minutes earlier.
The goalkeeper had been unbeatable before that, tipping
Cristiano Ronaldo's point-blank header over the bar in the 63rd minute.
"We played an intelligent game tonight. It was a
difficult series and we showed a lot of effort to win it," Madrid coach
Jose Mourinho said.
Madrid seems certain to face Barcelona in the last eight
with the Catalans enjoying a 4-0 lead against Osasuna heading into Thursday's
return away leg.
If Barcelona advances, the two-legged series would mean
another pair of "clasicos," bringing the total to nine in about nine
months. Madrid's sole victory in its past 12 matches against its biggest rival
was last season's cup final.
Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off after being
booked for the second time in the 88th, and Malaga midfielder Jeremy Toulalan
nearly scored from a header two minutes later.
Mourinho said midfielder Sami Khedira was not badly
injured despite leaving the game in the first half clutching his right leg.
Also, third-tier team Mirandes scored late to draw 1-1 at
Racing Santander and continue its historic run by advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
Mallorca rallied to beat Real Sociedad 6-1 to win their series 6-3 overall.
At El Sardinero stadium, Pedro Munitis scored from
Alexandros Tzolis' 34th-minute pass to give topflight Santander a chance at
rallying from the 2-0 first-leg loss.
But Santander's Bernardo Zuniga was sent off for a second
yellow card early in the second half and Pablo Infante, who works in a bank as
his day job, scored his fourth goal of the competition from the spot in the
72nd to seal Mirandes' first quarterfinal appearance.
Mallorca looked likely to exit after Sociedad went ahead
3-0 on aggregate following Diego Ifran's 17th-minute opener.
Chori Castro started the improbable comeback by scoring
from a free kick in the 34th, before putting the hosts ahead seven minutes
later after Israel striker Tomer Mahed and Jose Carlos Nunes had scored.
Alejandro Alfaro and Hemed scored second half goals for
Mallorca.
Mirandes will look to continue its improbable run against
Espanyol or Cordoba. Espanyol leads the second-division club 2-1 going into
Wednesday's match. Mallorca will play either Athletic Bilbao or third-tier team
Albacete after they drew 0-0 to start their series.
