SEVILLE (AP) — Jules Koundé sent a shot from outside the area into the net late in stoppage time to give Barcelona a 3-2 win over Real Madrid on Saturday and claim the Copa del Rey title.
Koundé recovered the ball on a sloppy clearance by Luka Modrić and ventured a low strike that beat the goalkeeper in the 116th minute during the second extra period.
Pedri (29′) and Ferran Torres (84′) added the other goals for the Blaugrana, who cement their historic supremacy as the competition’s most successful team with a 32nd crown in 43 finals they have played.
Kylian Mbappé (70′) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (77′) had managed a brief comeback for the Merengues, who suffered their third loss of the season to Barcelona, a club that had already defeated them in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
“We are very proud of this team, not only me, the fans and the club as well—they deserve it,” said manager Hansi Flick, with Barça reclaiming the Copa del Rey after four years.
The Barça side recovered after losing the lead they had earned with a superb long-range strike by Pedri, in a first half when they dominated with breadth.
Mbappé’s introduction energized the Madrid attack after they equalized from a free kick that struck the post before crossing the line.
Moments later, the Merengues went ahead with a header from Tchouaméni off a corner.
As the match entered its closing phase, Ferran Torres sent the tie to extra time after benefiting from Lamine Yamal’s second assist (the young blaugrana jewel sported a new look with blond hair).
As the title showdown approached a potential penalty shootout, Koundé seized on a poor clearance from Modrić, finishing with a low shot that bypassed Thibaut Courtois. “When we saw today that they had come back again, it was great to see it from the sideline,” Flick said. “I always think positively and we deserved it; things were moving in the right direction and Jules (Koundé) did it perfectly. It was a perfect night.”
When the title decision loomed by the penalty shootout route, Koundé again exploited a miscue by Modrić with a low strike that got past Courtois.
In the final minute of regular time stoppage, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea reversed a penalty awarded to Barcelona after VAR intervention, a call that was annulled and opened the door to extra time.
For the third time this season, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid after their decisive 4-0 win in the first meeting of La Liga at the Santiago Bernabéu on October 26, 2024; they then overwhelmed them 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 12 in Riyadh.
“We’ve tried until the end, we were very close,” Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said after the trophy ceremony. “The match was competitive, balanced. Barcelona controlled the first half, we controlled the second.”
In a couple of weeks they will meet for the fourth time this year, when the league’s return fixture at Montjuïc is scheduled for May 11.
For Barça, the dream of completing a treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League) remains alive as they lead the domestic campaign and stand a few days away from the Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter Milan.
Real Madrid left with 20 Copa del Rey titles and are now focusing on La Liga (led by Barça) and the Club World Cup in the remainder of the season.
“We have to keep competing in La Liga; we played a high-level match and we were very close to lifting the Cup,” Ancelotti added. In the final moments, Burgos Bengoetxea sent off Antonio Rüdiger and Lucas Vázquez (120’+3′), both of whom had already been substituted.
