SEVILLE: A Jules Kounde goal in the dying minutes of extra time handed Barcelona a dramatic 3-2 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid in an enthralling Copa del Rey final in a raucous atmosphere at Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium on Saturday.

Barca won a record extending 32nd Spanish Cup title thanks to a stunning strike from the French defender, who slotted a low drive into the bottom corner from 25 yards in the 116th minute.

The match ended on a sour note for Real as Antonio Ruediger and Lucas Vazquez, both on the bench after being substituted earlier, received red cards for dissent from the sidelines, with Jude Bellin­gham also being flashed a red after the final whistle for unsportsmanlike conduct.

However Rudiger apologised later for throwing an object at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in protest.

“There’s definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I’m very sorry for that,” said Rudiger in a post on Instagram.

“Before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night.”

Rudiger could face a ban of between four and 12 matches for his actions, which could see him miss the upcoming La Liga Clasico, a potential title decider, on May 11.

Vazquez and Bellingham’s red cards are likely to lead to bans in next season’s Copa del Rey for being less serious infringements of the rules.

“I don’t want to talk about the referee,” said stone-faced Madrid coach Ancelotti. “I don’t know what happened at the end.”

Controversy aside, one of the biggest fixture in world football lived up to expectations, delivering an action-packed final.

Pedri put Barca ahead in the 28th minute with a brilliant curling strike into the top corner from outside the box in a first-half they dominated.

However, Real took control in the second half as Kylian Mbappe, who was absent from the starting XI as he has yet to regain full fitness from an ankle injury, came off the bench to score the equaliser from a free kick in the 70th minute.

Aurelien Tchouameni gave Real the lead seven minutes later with a towering header from a corner before Ferran Torres found the equaliser in a counter attack in the 84th minute that took the game to extra time.

With several players clearly exhausted in extra time the game appeared destined to finish in a penalty shootout. But that was when Kounde became the hero for the Catalan club.

Kounde winner earned Barca a title that gave German manager Hansi Flick his first major title with Barca, crowning a brilliant season in which they are also bidding for the La Liga and Champions League titles while Real are now left only with La Liga as they bid to avoid a trophy-less campaign.

“Madrid pushed us to our limits but we showed great character and pride,” said Kounde.

Barca host Inter Mil­­a­n in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.

“They can make a party — for today, it’s OK,” a delighted Flick, who has won all seven finals he has coached in his career, told Movistar.

It was a nail-biting, ill-tempered encounter fueled by Friday’s turmoil ignited after Real decided to boycott pre-match activities in protest against the Spanish FA’s refereeing.

Bengoetxea, who had given an emotional pre-match press conference on Friday, was faced with a series of challenging decisions, including an added-time penalty for Barcelona that was eventually overturned following a lengthy VAR review.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2025