Barcelona defender Jules Kounde struck deep in extra time to decide a gripping Copa del Rey Clasico final in Seville, earning his side a 3-2 win over rivals Real Madrid, reports Al Jazeera.
The Catalans, aiming for a quadruple this season, won the first major trophy of Hansi Flick’s reign as coach and a record-extending 32nd Spanish cup in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
Pedri sent Barcelona ahead at La Cartuja, but two Real Madrid goals in seven second-half minutes, from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, pulled the Spanish and European champions level.
However, Ferran Torres struck in the 84th minute to take the game to extra time and Kounde drilled home to win it for the LaLiga leaders.
Substituted Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger was sent off in the final seconds for appearing to throw an object onto the pitch towards the referee.
Madrid, who started with top scorer Mbappe on the bench after an ankle injury, suffered an early setback when left-back Ferland Mendy, playing his first game for six weeks, suffered a thigh injury.
Carlo Ancelotti sent on Fran Garcia in his place, with the job of shackling Barcelona’s dazzling teenage winger Lamine Yamal.
The 17-year-old Spain star, who dyed his hair blond for the game, burst past him with ease as Barca increasingly threatened Thibaut Courtois’s goal.
The Catalans, who won the first two Clasicos this season in LaLiga and the Spanish Super Cup, scoring nine goals in the process, controlled the ball.
They took the lead after 28 minutes, Pedri placing the ball into the top corner with precision and power from the edge of the box.
It was a sensational goal, starting with a smart Pau Cubarsi interception in his own half.
Pedri spread the play out to Yamal on the right, who cut inside and held the ball up until the Canary Islander reached the box and had a sight of goal.
Madrid had been focused on defending, but Barcelona’s opener brought them out of their shell – and also brought Mbappe off the bench to warm up.
Jude Bellingham started and finished a superb move but was offside, and Vinicius Junior would have won a penalty as Inigo Martinez hacked him down, but had also strayed off in the build-up.
Barcelona could have doubled their lead, with Dani Olmo’s corner evading several players and bouncing off the far post, with Cubarsi unable to get there as Dani Ceballos held him back.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was lenient with some heated Madrid tackles, perhaps cowed by Friday’s drama as the Spanish champions seethed at his pre-match comments denouncing attacks on officials by the club’s television channel.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
