In a pulsating 3-2 victory over Real Madrid, Jules Koundé's dramatic ET goal secured a record-extending 32nd Copa del Rey title. For the first time in two years, their major rivals suffered a third consecutive El Clásico H2H defeat. Following a tempestuous build-up circulating around Real’s grievances over the choice of referee for tonight’s match – Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea – the time for talking was thankfully over. Barça were the ones forcing the issue during the opening exchanges, as Jules Koundé headed over from Dani Olmo’s corner. Real then took a hit early on when Ferland Mendy – making his first appearance since mid-March after recovering from a hamstring injury – was replaced by Fran García following a collision with Koundé.
Hansi Flick’s side were sensing vulnerabilities, and Lamine Yamal tried his luck with a left-footed strike that flew inches wide. Thibaut Courtois was called into action moments later, making a fine one-handed save to parry over Koundé’s header from Raphinha’s free-kick. However, Pedri's skillfully crafted goal in the 29th minute provided the seemingly inevitable Barcelona breakthrough. The midfielder picked out Yamal, who cut the ball back for Barça’s number eight to unleash an unstoppable, ferocious drive past Courtois. The Catalans had momentum to their advantage when Olmo's corner shot flew across the goal and hit the post before overtime. After Jude Bellingham played in Vincius Junior, who was twice denied in quick succession by Wojciech Szczsny, two starting players combined to almost restore parity after Ancelotti called upon Kylian Mbappé at overtime. The match had begun when Mbappé found Vincius Junior, who was picked out by Mbappé. Koundé stopped Mbappé's next shot, and the Brazilian's own shot went just wide of the goal. Raphinha had not yet established himself in this match, and he twice failed to hit the mark at the conclusion of ferocious counterattacks. Mbappé erased Barça's lead with the first direct free-kick goal of his career, which clipped in off the post and served as justification for Ancelotti's HT substitution. They proved to be costly misses. The match swung firmly in Real’s favour when Aurélien Tchouaméni turned the game on its head with a brilliant towering header from Arda Güler’s corner, and suddenly, Flick’s men were staring down the barrel of defeat. As this extraordinary game took another turn, Barça found an equalizer when Torres coolly beat Courtois and slotted the ball into an empty net after receiving a lavish assist from Yamal. It looked like Flick’s men would have a chance to win the match at the death when Raúl Asencio was penalised for a challenge on Raphinha in the box, but in a dramatic twist, the Brazilian was booked for simulation after a VAR review.
After Raphinha saw that Torres was a constant threat, he shot wide in ET with an angled attempt. However, the hero of the Catalans' goal came from a strange place: Koundé, retaliating against Luka Modri for a costly misplaced pass, drilled a brilliant finish into the bottom corner. This result will be a huge psychological blow for Real ahead of the next El Clásico meeting on May 11th, while this is the first trophy secured for Flick’s men in their quest for a treble.
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