Barcelona has launched its bid for a treble after it beat Real Madrid 3-2 in an exciting Copa del Rey final with Jules Koundé scoring an extra-time winner on Saturday (April 26, 2025).
Right again Koundé pounced on a cross by Luka Modric and fired into the low nook of Thibaut Courtois’ web for the 116th-minute decider.
Barcelona will carry momentum from its record-extending thirty second Copa del Rey title into Wednesday’s (April 30, 2025) begin of its Champions League semifinal sequence in opposition to Inter Milan. It additionally leads La Liga by 4 factors over Madrid.
Pedri González dictated the sport for Barcelona from midfield and scored from lengthy vary to take a twenty eighth minute-lead at La Cartuja Stadium.
Madrid rallied in the second half and scored twice, with Kylian Mbappé coming off the bench at halftime and scoring from a free kick in the seventieth and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni’s header in the 77th making it 2-1.
Ferran Torres levelled in the 84th to power extra time — and set the scene for Koundé to culminate the comeback.
Barcelona has crushed Madrid in all three of the clásicos this season, together with a 5-2 rout in the Spanish Super Cup final in January after successful 4-0 at Madrid in the league in October.
“This was such a physically demanding game, but we showed that we are a great team that never gives up,” stated Torres, who stuffed in completely for the injured Robert Lewandowski.
The loss to its fierce rival was one other blow to Madrid after it was knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals by Arsenal. This might have been its final title decider with Carlo Ancelotti in cost. The Italian coach stated he’ll determine his future this summer time amid hypothesis he’s sure to take over Brazil.
Ancelotti, when requested about his future, stated, “As I have said, I can continue, I can stop, it will be a topic for the coming weeks.”
While Ancelotti’s second stint in Madrid seems to be coming to an finish, Hansi Flick has solely added to his excellent first season with Barcelona. The German coach has invigorated a gaggle of gamers who appeared spent underneath Xavi Hernández and helped younger gamers reminiscent of Yamal and Cubarsí proceed to develop into stars.
“I have to say thanks to the team because they had an unbelievable performance,” Flick stated.
King Felipe VI awarded the trophy to Barcelona’s captains, Ronald Araujo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, after the monarch returned to Spain following his attendance on the funeral of Pope Francis.
The trophy is the primary piece of a treble that Barcelona received underneath Pep Guardiola in 2009 and Luis Enrique in 2015.
Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger was proven a purple card by the referee in the final minute of extra time.
The heart again was furious and crew employees and gamers had to maintain him again when he glared, shouted and made a throwing gesture on the referee.
One of the largest rivalries in world soccer was once more a story of two halves – till Torres scored the late equaliser in opposition to the circulate of play to renew Barcelona’s prospects.
Barcelona dominated the primary half with its ball management and a strain protection that was fast to get well the ball.
The solely semblance of a Madrid assault got here when Jude Bellingham was in a position to spin away from his marker.
But a Bellingham cross intercepted by Pau Cubarsí cued Barcelona’s opener. Pedri lobbed ahead for Yamal, breaking down the flank. The 17-year-old phenom – sporting a brand new dyed-blonde hairdo – threaded a cross again to the highest of the field, the place Pedri arrived to blast it house.
Raphinha went shut to including a second aim with some assist by Rudiger when the Brazilian’s corker kick grazed the defender and hit the far publish.
Mbappé began the sport on the bench after injuring his ankle final week. But Ancelotti despatched his striker on at halftime to substitute Rodrygo. Modric and playmaker Arda Guler quickly adopted.
The adjustments helped Madrid click on, and the sport turned a back-and-forth contest with each groups creating scoring probabilities.
Wojciech Szczesny had to shield Barcelona’s lead with three saves to deny Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé. The goalkeeper might do nothing, nonetheless, to cease Mbappe after he earned a foul and fired a free kick low and simply contained in the publish.
Tchouaméni rose up to head in a nook kick that Guler curled into to the sting of the six-yard field.
Torres introduced Barcelona again when Yamal put an extended ball behind the protection and Courtois mistimed his run out to intercept it, leaving Torres with an open web.
Raphinha thought he had a penalty in the final minute of harm time after contact with Raúl Asencio. But the referee, who the day earlier than the final denounced a marketing campaign to discredit him by Real Madrid’s official membership tv, waived off his preliminary determination after consulting video.
With a number of gamers clearly exhausted in extra time, the sport appeared destined to end in a penalty shootout. But that was when Koundé turned the hero for the Catalan membership.
Published – April 27, 2025 08:26 am IST
