Jules Kounde went from villain to hero in a crazy Copa del Rey final as Barcelona stole away the crown in extra-time, beating Real Madrid 3-2.
Barcelona suffocated Real Madrid from the outset as they outworked and outplayed the men in white in the opening exchanges. The forward line harried the Madrid defence relentlessly which crumbled and submitted to the persistent pressure. Barcelona held the majority of possession and it was only a matter of time, just under half an hour, before they took the lead.
Pedri fed Lamine Yamal, who stood Fran Garcia up before laying back to the midfielder in acres of space to stroke home into the top-left corner from outside the area. Madrid never looked like threatening the Barcelona defence which looked completely assured throughout the first half.
Mbappe was introduced at half-time and Los Blancos threatened immediately. Vinicius robbed Pedri and flashed one past the post, before Mbappe’s runs through the middle started to cause problems. The Frenchman, fouled by Frenkie de Jong, swept the resulting free-kick off the left post and in to equalise. The Madrid attacks continued to flow and when Aurelien Tchouameni headed in Madrid's second from a corner, they looked set to become champions.
But Yamal had other ideas, sending Ferran Torres through, who rounded Courtois and passed into the gaping net. With the score at 2-2 and seeming destined to be heading to extra-time, Raphinha jinked past a lunging Asencio and collapsed to the floor – winning a penalty. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned and the game went to extra-time.
If fans were expecting the fireworks of the second-half to continue then they would be disappointed. But with both sets of players looking exhausted and the affair starting to peter out, Kounde stole ahead of Brahim Diaz to intercept and fire low and into the bottom corner. Just when Barcelona thought they had won it, Gavi fouled Mbappe in the box but was saved by an offside in the build-up. The seconds eventually trickled away and Barcelona were the Copa del Rey champions.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from La Cartuja…
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Wojciech Szczesny (6/10):
Had little to do in the first half, made a smart stop from Mbappe early in the second half. Could do little with the Madrid goals.
Jules Kounde (8/10):
Did not allow Vinicius an inch of space but lost Tchouameni at the corner for Madrid's second. Stunning winner in extra-time will steal all the headlines.
Pau Cubarsí (7/10):
Made an important cutout from a Jude Bellingham pass which led to the first goal – solid throughout.
Inigo Martínez (6/10):
Fortunate that the offside flag saved him from conceding a penalty on Vinicius.
Gerard Martín (6/10):
Picked up a yellow card for a late challenge but kept a lacklustre Rodrygo quiet.
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Pedri (7/10):
His spectacular finish from outside the area fired Barcelona ahead. Dictated tempo in the first-half but struggled with physical Madrid midfield after the break.
Frenkie de Jong (5/10):
Started strongly but was isolated and consistently tested by Mbappe. De Jong gave away the free-kick on the Frenchman that led to the equaliser.
Dani Olmo (6/10):
Did not offer too much of a threat going forwards and, after being on the end of a number of heavy Madrid challenges, was substituted just after an hour.
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Lamine Yamal (8/10):
Toyed with Fran Garcia and took his time to pick out Pedri for the opener. Faded in the second half until special assist for Ferran Torres.
Ferran Torres (6/10):
Had looked unable to fill the Robert Lewandowski-sized hole until he popped up to make it 2-2.
Raphinha (5/10):
Thrashed two good chances yards wide of the post in the second-half which could have put the game out of Madrid’s reach – almost deeply costly misses.
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Fermin Lopez (6/10):
Struggled to help stem the flow of Madrid attacks in the second-half. Stepped up in extra-time and looked most likely to create an opening.
Gavi (5/10):
Flickered in and out of the game but failed to make a huge impact.
Ronald Araujo (7/10):
Helped shore up the Barcelona defence in extra-time and made a vital block from a cross.
Eric Garcia (5/10):
Brought on in extra-time, Garcia had little to do in a quiet 22 minutes.
Pau Victor (N/A):
Came on just before winning goal.
Hansi Flick (6/10):
An almost perfect first-half was undone by one Madrid change. Failed to respond to the more physical challenges posed by Mbappe and Madrid in the second-half. Will be relieved to have won the trophy.