The chaotic rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid took center stage again in the almost-violent 2024/2025 Copa Del Rey final match.
Before the match, there was tension between Real Madrid and the officiating referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. The club felt he was biased and favored other clubs against Madrid.
The Spanish powerhouse, who are well on their way to winning the La Liga title, dropped multiple press releases, letting Bengoetxea know that every decision he would make in the final would be under scrutiny. It was a tough spot to be but there was no backing out. Bengoetxea had been in tough spots before, so he would treat this match like every other match he officiated. However, what he got on the pitch was not what he expected.
Barcelona took the reigns in the first half, with Pedri and Lamine Yamal leading a beautiful attack. Soon, it paid off through Pedri’s thrilling strike from outside the box. At the break, Barcelona was ahead with a lot to fight for in the second half.
After the break, it was a different story. The introduction of Kylian Mbappe boosted Real Madrid’s attack. He quickly became Ancelotti’s super sub when he curled a free-kick he had won into the bottom corner, and the match was level.
Soon after, Aurelien Tchouameni put Santiago Bernabéu’s side in front when he headed into Arda Culver’s corner. However, there was still a lot left to play. Barcelona would not go down without a fight.
Seven minutes later, Hansi Flick’s side leveled the game when Ferran Torres picked out Yamal’s long ball, taking it away from the goalkeeper before sending it home.
Both sides tried to get the final say, and Barcelona almost had a chance to win it with a possible penalty, but the referee overturned the decision after a long check.
The game went into extra time, and just four minutes to the penalty shootout, Kounde got the final say, putting Barcelona in front and on the verge of winning the prestigious cup.
From there it was chaos. Madrid’s bench and their players on the field were furious with the referee, leading to three straight red cards. Rüdiger, Lucas Vasquez, and Jude Bellingham were sent off for their behavior.
