Jules Koundé’s Extra-Time Stunner Seals Barcelona’s 3-2 Copa del Rey Triumph, Cementing Dominance Over Real Madrid

In a pulsating Copa del Rey final at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Jules Koundé de Barcelona sparked an astonishing strike based in the depths of additional time to ensure a 3-2 victory on the Rivals of Arch-Rivals, winning the 32nd Spanish Cup of the Club of the Club.

The electrifying clasico, a roller coaster, resilience and controversy, marked the first major trophy of Hansi Flick as a coach and stressed the remarkable Barcelona resurgence under President Joan Laporta. With goals from Pedri, Ferran Torres and Koundé, and a dazzling display of Lamine Yamal, 17, Barcelona finished a seasonal scanning of Real Madrid, having already humiliated the Spanish and European champions at La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup.

The victory, punctuated by a late red card at Antonio Rudiger de Madrid for having pretended to have launched an object to the referee, not only reaffirmed the domination of Barcelona, ​​but also highlighted their recovery of the financial and competitive abyss which once saw the Lionel Messi icon. While the Catalans continue a triple historical, this triumph signals a new gold of gold for the leaders of Liga.

A season of supremacy from Clasico

The Copa del Rey triumph of Barcelona caps a season of total domination over Real Madrid, the Catalans winning the three clasicos in 2024-25, marking nine goals through the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, and now the Cup final. The campaign began with a 3-1 victory in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in January 2025, where Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Yamal tears the defense of Madrid, exhibiting the fragiles despite the presence of stars like Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior. A 4-0 rout from Laliga to Santiago Bernabéu in October 2024 followed, with the high pressure Flick system crushing the side of Carlo Ancelotti, while Yamal and Raphinha ran a riot.

The Copa Del Rey final, played in front of a frantic crowd on Saturday, was a fiery microcosm of the Barcelona season. The side of Flick, leading the Liga and looking at the Champions League, and Super Cup – controlled possession and dictated the tempo with a trio of midfielder from Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo. Yamal, who dyed his blond hair for the occasion, was a constant threat, shredding Madrid’s defense with his rhythm and his vision.

Real Madrid, hampered by tactical injuries and missteps, suffered an early stroke when the left rear Ferland Mendy, after six weeks, drink with a thigh injury. Ancelotti’s substitute, Fran García, was responsible for containing Yamal but was exceeded several times, because Barcelona dotted the objective of Thibaut Courtois.

Barcelona struck the first in the 28th minute through a moment of shine. The young defender Pau Cubarsí, a revelation at 18, intercepted a Madrid pass in his own half and launched a fast counter. Pedri, orchestrating the game, spread the ball to Yamal on the right. The teenager cut inside, held possession with balance beyond her years, and dismissed Pedri, who pleated a precise and powerful shot in the upper corner of the edge of the box. The objective, a mixture of defensives, the midfielder and the attack heel, encapsulated the revitalized identity of Barcelona under film.

Madrid, initially cautious, was accumulated in action but wasted likely. The superb finish of Jude Bellingham was deemed offside, and the penalty call of Vinícius Júnior was rejected after an offside call. Barcelona almost doubled his advance when the corner of Olmo struck the distant post, Cubarsí unable to convert while Dani Ceballos held him – a non -appeal which aroused the controversy. Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, already under control after the pre-match complaints of Madrid concerning his remarks on their television channel, showed a leniency with the aggressive plated of Madrid, increasing tensions.

Ancelotti rolled the dice at half-time, presenting Mbappé, banked due to a recent ankle injury, for Roddrygo Goes. The arrival of the Frenchman changed the momentum of the game, when Madrid tested the goalkeeper of Barcelona Wojciech Szcz? Sny with Vinícius and Mbappé combining threatening. Mbappé equalized in the 70th minute, forward and winning a free kick after a foul by Frenkie de Jong. Has its low strike cut the post and beat Szcz? Sny, triggering the return of Madrid. Seven minutes later, Aurélien Tchouammeni headed in the corner of Arda Güler, exploiting a rare failure of the defense of Barcelona to give Madrid a 2-1 lead.

Barcelona responded forcefully to the 84th minute when Yamal delivered a sublime pass above Ferran Torres, which preceded Rudiger and passed the courteous to put the ball in an empty net. The objective, forced additional time, preparing the ground for the heroism of Koundé.

Controversy and Clincher of Koundé

The last minutes of regulation were heavy in controversy. Barcelona asked for a penalty when Rudiger seemed to be in fault Torres, but the call was extinguished. In the stoppout, a penalty granted for the fall of Raphinha under the challenge of Raúl Asencio was canceled after the review Var, with Raphinha reserved for diving – a decision that exasperated the bench of Barcelona and sparked heated exchanges. The officer, already a flash point after Madrid’s criticism, has fueled post-match recriminations.

In addition to time, Koundé, a defensive rock everywhere, seized his moment in the 108th minute. Intercepting a caprician pass from Luka Modri ​​?, The Frenchman jumped forward and triggered a low blow and similar to a rocket from outside the box which beat courteous in his nearby post. The strike sent to the Cartuja in ecstasy and sealed the triumph of Barcelona.

Barça is back to life

Copa del Rey’s victory is more than a trophy; It is a testimony of the remarkable recovery of Barcelona of a dark period which saw the club wavering on the verge of collapse. In 2021, financial mismanagement and a debt of 1.35 billion euros forced the departure of Lionel Messi, the largest player of the club, in Paris Saint-Germain, a heartbreaking blow that symbolized the fall of Barcelona. On the field, the team in Langui, leaving the group phase of the Champions League and fighting at La Liga. Outside, an inflated salary bill and questionable transfer decisions threatened insolvency.

Enter Joan Laporta, re -elected president in March 2021 after a previous passage from 2003 to 2010. Laporta inherited a club in chaos but quickly implemented a daring overhaul. He obtained 1.5 billion euros from financial levers by selling future television rights and issues in Barça studios, stabilizing the club’s finances. He reduced the bill of wages by unloading high-benefit like Antoine Griezmann and negotiated profitable signatures like Lewandowski and Koundé.

The strict rules of the Liga financial show have forced creativity, but the bet of Laporta on youth – promising talents like Yamal, Cubars and Gavi of Masia – dividends paid. The appointment of Flick, a victorious coach of the Champions League with Bayern Munich, brought a tactical rigor, transforming Barcelona into an attacker of high pressure.

Laporta’s vision has spread beyond the field. He restored Fan Pride with symbolic movements, such as the renovation of Camp Nou and rebuilt the world brand of the club. The title of La Liga 2022-23 at La Liga, the first of Barcelona since 2019, marked a turning point, followed by the Clasico dominance of this season and the success of the Cup.

Copa Del Rey, the 32nd of Barcelona, ​​extends its record in the competition and reaffirms their status as a pre -eminent club in Spain.