In a Copa del Rey final, El Clasico no less, contested by attacking players worth hundreds of millions of pounds, a defender’s goal gave Hansi Flick the first trophy of what Barcelona hope will be a memorable treble. Jules Kounde won it with an accomplished long-range strike in the 116th minute after Lamine Yamal had set up both earlier goals, including an 84th minute equaliser for Ferran Torres. That it came from a misplaced pass by the 39-year-old Real Madrid icon, Luka Modric, was all the more poignant.
For Carlo Ancelotti and Real, who fought back so spiritedly in the second half after being utterly anonymous in the first 45, there is only regret at a season that has fallen apart over the past few weeks. Out of the Champions League after being thrashed by Arsenal, they saw their second-half revival in Sevilla come to nought. They trail Barcelona by four points in LaLiga, and their meeting in the Catalan capital on May 11 will surely decide the fate of that trophy too.
For seven crazy minutes, it had seemed that Ancelotti and Real would actually upset the odds. They had conceded two-thirds of the possession in the first half, and not managed a single shot on target. But with Raphinha having a dreadful game on the left wing for Barcelona and misplacing his shooting boots, Real hung in there.
The introductions of Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler in the second half redressed the balance. Vinicius Junior and Mbappe both preyed on Barcelona’s high line, and Wojciech Szczęsny had to save smartly on a couple of occasions to keep Barcelona ahead. But when Frenkie de Jong fouled Mbappe outside the box, the Frenchman picked himself up and drove in a shot off the post through a gap in the Barca wall that you could have sent a truck through.
Barcelona have a Champions League semi-final first leg against Internazionale of Milan later this week
Seven minutes later, Aurelien Tchoameni bulleted a header in off a Guler corner, and Real were less than a quarter hour from the trophy. But Yamal, whose trickery down the right had drawn four defenders towards him in the 28th minute so that Pedri could finish beautifully off the pass he laid off, had another touch of genius in his boots. This time, the long ball from halfway saw Torres outpace Antonio Rudiger and round Thibaut Courtois in the Real goal before passing into the net.
In injury time, Barcelona were given a penalty after Raul Asensio was judged to have fouled Raphinha. But after several replays, Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea – the under-scrutiny referee, whose tearful pre-match press briefing had highlighted Real’s in-house channel and its disgusting hatchet-jobs on match officials – went to the pitch-side screen and changed his mind. Raphinha was duly booked for a dive, and the game went to extra time.
Barcelona have bigger fish to fry later this week, with a Champions League semi-final first leg against Internazionale of Milan. That they won here without Robert Lewandowski – their totemic centre-forward out with a hamstring injury – would have made it even more satisfying. After nearly a decade in Real’s shadow, the tide may finally be turning.
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