FC Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey… for the 32nd time. And few of the previous 31 were quite as dramatic as this one.
A Clásico is always a spectacle. A Clásico that doubles as a cup final is doubly so. This game had everything. And after a thrilling 90 minutes that ended 2-2, Jules Kounde’s goal with just four minutes of stoppage time remaining sparked jubilation across the blaugrana universe.
Barça had started so brilliantly that after going 1-0 up one might have suspected a repeat of the rout in Riyadh last January.
But no. Real Madrid fought back adamantly, and were eyeing the trophy with a 2-1 lead before Ferran Torres nabbed a late equaliser to send the game into extra time.
And then came Kounde’s winner. A moment that will go down in Barça folklore. Barça are Copa del Rey champions.
What’s more, La Liga is within touching distance, and there’s a Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan set to start in just four days’ time.
Happy, happy days at Barça… And this may only be the beginning.
Perfect Pedri
Although Thibault Courtois had only been truly tested once, the ball had been in the Madrid half for almost the entirety of the first 28 minutes, and the only surprise was Barça’s opener took so long in the coming.
But, boy, it was worth the wait. A Jude Bellingham error in midfield led to Lamine Yamal juggling round Fran García, on for the injured Ferland Mendy, and then playing the ball backwards to Pedri, who was racing through unmarked. The Canary Islander’s connection from the edge of the penalty arc was as perfect as perfect can be, and the ball rattled into the top left corner.
A fabulous goal and Barça’s utter dominance was justly reflected on the scoreboard.
Real Madrid needed to respond and they did. Bellingham actually had the ball in the net but was flagged for a pretty clear offside, and Vinícius Júnior could have rightly earned a penalty for his side had he not started the move from an offside position.
From leading to losing
As the game progressed, Barça were dictating things less and less and a possible Real Madrid equaliser was a stronger and stronger concern. Kylian Mbappé made an impact after coming on, and Vinícius Jr was also causing trouble, but Wojciech Szczesny was as a solid as ever between the posts.
Going into the final half hour, Barça were still a goal to the good. But it was nervous viewing. There was a nasty feeling that this might yet all go wrong. And then it did.
Frenkie de Jong tugged Mpbappe when the Frenchman was through on goal. The white shirts were screaming for red. They didn’t get that, but they did get a perfectly executed Mbappe free kick. In off the post. Nothing Szczesny could do. 1-1.
The goal fired up Madrid, and before Barça had had time to react, they scored again, Aurélien Tchouaméni heading in an Arda Güler corner.
Ferran leveller
All the confidence and energy was now in the Madrid court. Every Barça attack seemed to end with a chance at the other end… Until Ferran Torres came to the rescue!
Lamine provided the ball and amid a moment of uncertainty between Antonio Rüdiger and Courtois, the ‘Shark’ swum through and found the angle to slide the ball into the unguarded net!
Barça were back in business and with just minutes remaining, it was the blaugrana end of the stadium that was making the biggest noise.
The penalty that wasn’t
If the end-to-end finale wasn’t dramatic enough, right in the very last second of injury time Raphinha won Barça a penalty! But the culprit, Fran García, was adamant that the Brazilian had dived. Tense moments as VAR checked the footage, and the verdict was that the Madrid defender was right, and Raphinha was carded for his actions.
No penalty. Instead, bars and restaurants worldwide had an extra 30 minutes of custom.
Madrid were looking worryingly composed in added time and had the lion’s share of the ball, although Ferran Torres had the best chance of the first 15 minutes, the ball trickling agonisingly wide of the post.
70,000 hearts were pounding inside La Cartuja.
Jules! Jules! Jules!
No sooner had the action resumed and Ferran had scored again… But that one was always going to be called offside.
There were some very tired legs out there, and mistakes starting happening. Any of those could prove costly for either side.
And it was Brahim Díaz who made it. He was slow to react to a Luca Modric pass, Jules Kounde wasn’t, and that was 3-2! Mayhem ensured! Had Barça sneaked it in the dying minutes of extra time?
They had!
Most of what followed were rather ugly scenes of protest from the Madrid bench, with three red cards produced, and little proper football got played before the referee’s whistle blew and Barça fans around the planet could relax and start preparing to party!
There are blaugrana ribbons on the Copa del Rey trophy. For the 32nd time!
