Barcelona beats Real Madrid in extra time and wins the Copa del Rey
In a thrilling game with two comebacks, French full-back Jules Koundé emerges as the hero by scoring the winning goal five minutes from the end
Summary
In a thrilling final, with two comebacks and decided in extra time, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 to win the Copa del Rey this Saturday at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville. French right-back Jules Koundé scored the winning goal five minutes from the end of the match.
Barça were better in the first half and opened the scoring with Pedri, but saw their rivals take the lead in the second half with Mbappé and Tchouaméni. Ferrán Torres equalised in the 38th minute of the second half, forcing extra time – with six goals, he finished as the top scorer in the Copa del Rey. In extra time, Koundé took advantage of a mistake by Real Madrid in the clearance to decide the match.
BARÇA GOES FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN
The Copa del Rey is the first step towards Barcelona’s ambitious dream: the Treble. In the Spanish Championship, the Catalan team is the leader, with a four-point advantage over Real, with five matches remaining. But the two great rivals will still face each other on May 11th, in the 35th round (see the full table) . Barça’s other goal is the UEFA Champions League : next Wednesday, the Catalan team will host Inter Milan in the first leg of the semi-finals.
BARÇA CRUSHES REAL IN THE FIRST HALF
The first half of the Copa del Rey final was all Barcelona’s, who pressed Real Madrid in their own half from the start. The greatest merit of Carlo Ancelotti’s team was managing to defend effectively and not letting Barça open up a big lead. Despite the pressure, the Catalan team went into the break with only 1-0 on the scoreboard, thanks to a great goal by Pedri, who hit a beautiful first-time shot from the edge of the area, into the corner of Courtois’ goal, in the 28th minute. Isolated in Real’s attack, Vinícius Júnior only managed to gain an advantage over the defense in stoppage time, when he was awarded a penalty, in a move that was eventually disallowed for the Brazilian being offside.
REAL RECOVERS IN THE 2ND HALF
Mbappé’s introduction after the break finally gave Real Madrid some speed in attack. The Frenchman’s associations with Vini Jr. began to appear, and Barça felt the blow. The equalizer came in the 24th minute, when Mbappé took a free kick that he himself had won. With a header, Tchouaméni turned the score around in the 31st minute, and when Real Madrid seemed to have the game under control, Barcelona managed to equalize with Ferrán Torres, who received a great pass from Yamal and dribbled past Courtois before shooting into an empty net in the 38th minute. In injury time, the referee awarded a penalty for Asencio on Raphinha, but reversed his decision after reviewing the play on the VAR monitor, understanding that the Brazilian had thrown himself.
REAL’S MISTAKE DECIDES THE GAME
The fatigue of both teams meant that the pace of extra time was less intense, but it was Barcelona who managed to stay on the attack more, even scoring through Ferrán Torres, who was offside. Perhaps the fatigue of the match can explain the simple error by Real that led to Barça’s winning goal. Luka Modric, a midfield maestro whose precise passing is one of his greatest strengths, passed the ball without much force to Brahim Díaz, who slipped and saw Jules Koundé recover the ball at the edge of Real’s area. With the defense off guard, the full-back shot across goal and decided the Copa del Rey.
