Barcelona secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, thanks to a late extra-time goal from defender Jules Kounde at Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium.
The win handed Barcelona their first major title under coach Hansi Flick and extended their record to 32 Spanish Cup triumphs, keeping their hopes alive for a quadruple this season.
Pedri opened the scoring for the Catalans midway through the first half, but Madrid clawed back in the second half with quickfire goals from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, flipping the momentum in their favour.
However, Ferran Torres restored parity in the 84th minute to force extra time, where Kounde eventually delivered the decisive blow with a powerful low drive past Thibaut Courtois.
In a chaotic finale, Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger was sent off for allegedly throwing an object toward the referee, adding more controversy to an already heated encounter.
Madrid, who initially benched top scorer Mbappe due to a recent ankle injury, suffered an early setback when returning defender Ferland Mendy was forced off with a thigh issue, making way for Fran Garcia.
Garcia struggled to contain Barcelona’s rising teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, whose blistering pace and skill caused persistent problems for Madrid’s defence.
Barcelona, having dominated the first two Clasicos this season, asserted early control of the match.
Their breakthrough came when Pedri, following a clever interception by Pau Cubarsi, exchanged passes with Yamal before curling a superb shot into the top corner from outside the box.
The goal pushed Madrid into a more attacking stance, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to introduce Mbappe at halftime.
The French star wasted no time, firing home an equalizer from a free-kick after being fouled by Frenkie de Jong.
Tchouameni then powered Madrid into the lead, heading in Arda Guler’s corner past Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona, however, refused to back down. Yamal lofted a perfect ball over Madrid’s defence for Torres, who beat Courtois to level the score.
Tensions escalated as Barcelona were denied a penalty after VAR overturned a stoppage-time decision, booking Raphinha for simulation instead.
In extra time, Barcelona pressed relentlessly for a winner.
Their persistence paid off when Kounde capitalized on a rare mistake by Luka Modric, intercepting a poor pass and drilling the ball into the net.
Madrid’s frustrations boiled over with Rudiger’s red card, ensuring that tensions between the two clubs will remain high ahead of their next La Liga clash in May—a match likely to have significant implications for the league title.
