This season's Copa Del Rey's (Spanish Cup) final took form in an El Classico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid. There was obvious excitement but there was also tension before the match even began. This included Real president, Florentino Perez, requesting a change of referee and a series of fans being arrested. Player tensions also was a highlight of the match.
Real Madrid TV had broadcast a video showing the official's mistakes and highlighting that he had never been in charge of a Champions League or FIFA level match before. The campaign against him brought referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, to tears in his pre-match press conference, where he urged for the attacks to stop.
In turn, Madrid boycotted several pre-match activities, leading to fears that they would snub the clash. However, late on Friday, the club released a statement insisting that they 'never intended' to boycott the game.
The 2025 Copa del Rey final certainly lived up to the pre-match hype in every way and, thanks to Barcelona sticking to their core principles come what may, they triumphed over the eternal rival in the Spanish cup final for the first time since 1990.
Pre-match, Real Madrid had shown once again that their principles and values were very tenuous indeed, seeking as they were to put more pressure on the match officials and referees of their games in general.
They cancelled their pre-match activities and called for a change in official. This behaviour is disgusting as it is childish and was reminiscent of Los Blancos’ petulant boycotting of the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
You can check out the above story by visiting a previous blog post I wrote:
Indeed, the ultimate mind game from Florentino Perez et al. almost succeeded too; after a stonewall penalty on Raphinha to win the game at the death was eventually overturned by VAR. Ultimately, and deservedly, Barca prevailed thanks to three wonderful goals and the ability to control the game for large parts, the second half of normal time notwithstanding.
At half-time, the Catalans will surely have been ruing their missed chances after going in at the break having had nine shots to Real’s one; but only leading by the solitary goal. Pedri, again, gave it his all and the sublime strike was a just reward for this most magnificent of seasons for the midfielder.
To Real’s credit, they were a different beast with Kylian Mbappe up front and on another night, they might well have been the team carrying the trophy aloft in front of hordes of their supporters. Barca weren’t to be denied, however,
Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez were again peerless in the centre of defence, the midfield worked until they dropped and Barca’s attack were always dangerous if not always on target. Ferran Torres handed the initiative back to Barca with a coolly-taken finish before Jules Kounde unleashed a once-in-a-lifetime rocket to earn Hansi Flick another trophy after a Spanish Super Cup earlier this season.
Once again at the cusp of full time, Real disgraced themselves with their antics and there surely must be serious repercussions after the referee was targeted by objects thrown from the Real bench.
In terms of talent, Real Madrid is probably the most loaded in Europe. For a while there in Seville, you thought that deep bench would make the difference against Barcelona, who had limited options to turn to when fatigue set in.
Barcelona have something much more important: they have a deep trust in one another. A unity that allows them to persevere when the going gets tough. A belief that they can find a way through.
Once again, as their hopes were dimming, trailing late in the game, they kept fighting and found a way back in.
Barcelona is not a perfect team. Hansi Flick is not a perfect manager. Real Madrid outplayed them in the second half. Carlo Ancelotti got the better of his counterpart. When the whistle blew for full time, neither team deserved to win more than the other. Barcelona definitively won the first half, Real Madrid the second.
In stoppage time, however, something truly revealing happened. In fact, it was a sequence of two events
First, Ferran Torres was taken down in the box in the 92nd minute, in what most neutrals would describe as a clear penalty upon seeing the replay. The referee allowed play to continue on. Minutes later, Raphinha was taken down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Upon VAR review, it was overturned, perhaps if we’re being honest, rightfully so.
In both instances, Barcelona were unlucky that the call didn’t go their way. This could have been the decisive moment of the game. Yes, you saw some frustration on the faces of the players and the manager but they got over it quickly and moved on.
In contrast, coming into the game, Real Madrid world manufactured a scandal out of nothing, as they have been doing all season long. They tried discrediting the reputation of the match official, claiming he couldn’t be trusted to treat them fairly. Comically ironic given their history in La Liga.
Real Madrid is a team that is weak of mind. Their likely trophy-less season is a self-fulfilling prophecy. An act of self-sabotage. Instead of working on themselves to become the best team they could be, they became fixated on finding excuses to explain their mediocrity.
Barcelona, on the other hand, became mentality monsters behind the leadership of the calm and steady Hansi Flick. He never let his players off the hook. He never let them blame anyone but themselves when the results didn’t go their way.
Barcelona always stay together and believed even on their worst days, they could get results. In large part, this was possible because they knew that if they were playing poorly it was their own fault. There was no one else to blame.
So, even after Kylian Mbappé scored that free kick in the 70th minute, followed by the go ahead goal by Aurélien Tchouaméni just moments later, Barcelona were equipped to mount yet another improbable comeback.
They didn’t stop fighting. They knew that they would win or lose based on merit. They were accountable. It doesn’t hurt to have Lamine Yamal who can pull a rabbit out of a hat. He did that twice in this Clásico. That’s not how the title was won though.
It was the gutsy defensive line. It was the beautifully arrogant goalkeeper. It was the substitutes, like Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Fermín López, putting their body on the line to win balls.
It was because of an unexpected hero on the day in Jules Kounde, who refused to let the game go to penalties. Someone who has given everything to the team, game after game, doing much of the thankless work. This moment in the sun was earned.
Barcelona is a tired team but they're also an energised team. Winning is a drug and it gives you adrenaline.
After Kounde scored, the fireworks were lit and the men in blue and red sprinted towards him from all sides: here, at last, it was. An epic Copa Del Rey final, a first clásico final in 11 years, had a winner. They had been a goal up and a goal down, they had thought they had a last-minute penalty to win it only to have it taken away; but now it was 3-2 and the Catalan side had done it.
Done? Not quite but very nearly. On an extraordinary night, there was still one last opportunity for Real Madrid when Kylian Mbappé was fouled in the area and the referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, pointed to the spot, only for the linesman’s flag to be up. They had fought and rebelled but they were defeated and, in a chaotic end, when all the emotion exploded at the final whistle, somewhere in the noise and the pandemonium; they had three players shown red cards: Lucas Vázquez, Antonio Rüdiger and Jude Bellingham. The German had to be held back from going at the referee.
Having been sent off, Rudiger was restrained by his team-mates and was prevented from reaching the match official. He had been substituted due to, "exhaustion," per manager, Carlo Ancelotti. Now, according to Cadena SER, he faces a ban of between four and 12 games, meaning he could well be suspended for the remainder of the season. Another clip of the incident shows the defender attempting to throw more bags of ice but he was held back.
Rudiger has since taken to social media to apologise for his behaviour. He said, "'There's no excuse for my behaviour last night. I'm very sorry for that, sorry to the referee. We play a very good game from the 2nd half on. After 111 minutes, I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake."
Jude Bellingham was shown a red card after the final whistle 'approaching the referee aggressively' and needing 'to be restrained by team-mates'. A clip that has circulated on social media shows the Englishman ranting: 'Everything 50/50 goes their way, everything 50/50.'
In his referee report, per Metro, the official said: "In the 120th minute, player (22) Rudiger, Antonio, was sent off for the following reason: For throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me. After being shown the red card, he had to be restrained by several members of the coaching staff, displaying an aggressive attitude.
"In the 120th minute, player (17) Vazquez Iglesias, Lucas, was sent off for the following reason: For protesting one of our decisions, entering the field of play for several meters, making gestures of disagreement.
"In the 999th minute, player (5) Bellingham, Jude Victor William, was sent off for the following reason: After the end of the match, he approached our position in an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his teammates."
There is something different about Hansi Flick’s Barcelona compared to previous versions of the team, most conspicuously in terms of mental resilience.
The Catalans were in the lead against Real Madrid until the 70-minute mark and needed just 20 more minutes to pass by to lift the trophy. Seven minutes later, they were a goal down with just 13 minutes to go and any other team might have collapsed.
Not this Barcelona under Hansi Flick’s watch though. Despite having just 13 minutes to get back into the game, the champions dug in deep and scored through Ferran Torres just seven minutes after Tchouameni’s goal, forcing the tie into extra time.
The first half of extra-time saw Barcelona push but fail to score while Real Madrid also had occasional chances. Every passing minute made a penalty shootout a more realistic finish to the game – a development that would hand Los Blancos (Real Madrid) the impetus.
Just when it appeared that the game was heading to a draw, however, Jules Kounde pushed ahead with zeal and energy despite the fatigue in his system, won the ball and lashed it past Thibaut Courtois.
What won the game last night for Barcelona, more than anything else, was the pure desire and passion to win coupled with their belief in their football. Flick has truly changed the squad’s mentality.
Recent years have made Barcelona realise the real value of trophies and how difficult the road to conquering a tournament is. It has not been easy for the team after the change of guard but the transition now appears complete.
Last night’s win was not just a win for the dressing room but one for the management, the administration and the team’s long-term project. Barcelona are the champions of the Copa Del Rey after over four years and it couldn't have arrived at a more opportune time.
The celebrations of the win may not last long, especially given the team’s fatigue and the critical UCL game midweek. Concurrently, however, the dressing room will be ecstatic to have moved one step closer to the treble.
With one of the three trophies in the bag, Barcelona will be more inspired than ever before to make it all the way in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.
The win in El Clasico with a remontada, moreover, will ensure they take on Inter Milan with serious momentum on their side. The dream is real.
Real Madrid's behaviour is just laughable. They don't get what they want so they cry, moan and b***ch about it. I have to agree with the comments stated above regarding Real Madrid. They seem to be a bunch of spoiled brats (no offence to any Real Madrid fans reading this).
It's interesting to learn that this could be a season where they don't win anything. This will be the first time since the 2020-21 season.
It also looks like Barcelona deserved this victory. They have been playing well. So well that they have only lost one game since the turn of the year. They truly deserve all the accolades they are achieving. It's quite clear that they are united and seem capable to win anything; even the Champions League.