Barcelona Win Epic El Clásico in Extra-Time to Claim Spanish Cup

Barcelona have taken the first step towards a third men’s Treble in club history by winning their 32nd Copa del Rey title thanks to an epic 3-2 comeback victory over Real Madrid in extra-time on Saturday’s Final at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville. After dominating the first half and taking the lead, the Blaugrana were overwhelmed in the second half and found themselves down 2-1 after 85 minutes, but found a way to equalize and force extra-time where Jules Kounde scored a goal for the ages to give Barça a victory in El Clásico that they’ll never, ever forget.

A Dominant First Half

The Blaugrana were remarkably poised and composed in the first half, focused solely on playing football and controlling the game from start to finish with calm and patient possession and very good defensive work as their offside trap negated Madrid’s very few moments of danger. Pedri was the star of the show, curling an absolutely sensational shot into the top corner to put Barça ahead in the 28th minute. The Catalans continued to play and create, and almost found the second on a corner that was deflected by Antonio Rüdiger onto the post.

A Second-Half Collapse and a Dramatic Equalizer

However, the Blaugrana were overwhelmed in the second half, and Kylian Mbappé’s introduction at halftime gave Madrid a new lease on life. The Frenchman caused a ton of problems getting in behind the Barça defense, and that led to the equalizer as he was fouled by Frenkie de Jong at the edge of the box and fired the ensuing free-kick into the net off the post to equalize with 20 minutes to go. Madrid took the lead 15 minutes later when Aurélien Tchouameni headed home from a corner by Arda Güler.

But the Blaugrana refused to give up, and Ferran Torres got to a pass over the top ahead of both Rüdiger and Thibaut Courtois and passed it into an open net to bring the Catalans back to life with five minutes remaining. The match went into extra-time, where Kounde scored a spectacular goal in the 116th minute to seal the win for Barça.

Match Stats:

• Pedri scored a sensational goal in the 28th minute to put Barça ahead.
• Kylian Mbappé’s introduction at halftime gave Madrid a new lease on life, and he scored the equalizer in the 70th minute.
• Jules Kounde scored the winning goal in the 116th minute of extra-time.

Man of the Match: Jules Kounde

Kounde was the hero for Barça, scoring the winning goal in extra-time and making a spectacular defensive read to win the ball back at the edge of the box. His performance was instrumental in Barça’s dominant display, and he will be looking to continue his form in the remaining matches of the season.

The win marks a significant milestone for Barcelona, who are now on track for a third men’s Treble in club history. The Blaugrana will be looking to build on this momentum in their remaining matches, while Real Madrid will aim to regroup and push for a strong finish to the season.