Barcelona Lifts the Cup, Delivering a Fatal Blow to a Brave Madrid

Barcelona was crowned Copa del Rey champions for the thirty-second time in their history this Saturday in Seville, delivering a fatal blow to a Real Madrid side that showed a timid character in the first half but fought bravely in the second. They managed to come back and only laid down their arms after leaving everything on the pitch in a majestic match that tested the resilience of two tireless teams.

Koundé resolved a power-to-power duel in extra time, which Barcelona opened near the half-hour mark through Pedri. Real Madrid turned the game around in five frantic minutes of the second half with goals from Mbappé and Tchouaméni in strategic plays. The Catalans equalised seven minutes before regulation time ended with a goal from Ferran Torres. The Copa's top scorer struck a worn-out Real Madrid, who, despite this, clung to epic in extra time, with Rüdiger even threatening to score a dramatic goal, until Koundé's strike decided a fierce but wonderful contest that confirms a change of cycle.

Barcelona enjoys their triumph, confirming the start of a new era with their third consecutive victory in as many classics played this season. These victories have highlighted the current gap between a team brimming with football and ambition and another that has lacked hunger for most of the season, yet showed their characteristic pride to counter their opponent's wider range of resources, even putting them against the ropes in the city of La Giralda.

Barcelona had to sweat blood to secure a hard-fought victory at the Estadio de La Cartuja, allowing them to add the second trophy of the season to their cabinet after lifting the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. This keeps the Catalan dream of a treble alive, with the league well on track with five games remaining and the Champions League semi-finals against Inter just around the corner.

Barcelona had to work immensely hard to overcome a Real Madrid that fought until the last breath but failed once again at the hands of their hated rival, facing a bitter end to the season. The defeat leaves Carlo Ancelotti's position in jeopardy, as he has been unable to maintain the competitive edge that led his team to a dream season last year, and has been outdone by a whirlwind with a German seal.

The Chamartín side improved their image through courage in Seville but succumbed nonetheless to a powerful opponent in a match that showed football's astonishing twists, akin to David Lynch's cinema. González Fuertes, heavily criticised by Madrid fans before the match, annulled a non-existent penalty after Raphinha's dive against Asencio, which De Burgos Bengoetxea had initially called on the pitch. Indeed, the beautiful game is also rich in such ironies.

The defeat forces Real Madrid into a deep reconstruction unless a miracle occurs in the league, which even the team themselves don't believe in. The season, which started off on the wrong foot, has been a series of blunders leading to a change of guard and questioning a collection of stars unable to row in the same direction. In stark contrast, a dominant Barcelona envisions a promising future with a crop of young talents shining brightly, following to the letter the teachings of the apostle who arrived from Bayern.