De La Cartuja Filled with Drama, Barcelona Wins King's Cup

SEVILLA, SUNDAY - Drama never stopped appearing in every inch of the Spanish King's Cup final match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. From having no hope, Real was able to surprise Barca until the winner had to be determined through extra time. Barcelona finally walked the path to perfection by winning the Spanish King's Cup after defeating Real 3-2.

Not only did the drama begin when the match started, but it had already commenced several days before the final at the De La Cartuja Stadium in Seville, Sunday (27/4/2025) early morning WIB. Real Madrid has been strongly rumored to refuse to play in the final due to dissatisfaction with the performance of Spanish referees.

The action was triggered by Real's anger towards the two referees appointed to lead the match, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea and VAR referee Pablo González Fuertes. The two referees were considered to have made statements that were not neutral and attacked the club's internal media, Real Madrid TV.

The Real side then stated that they would not withdraw and would still participate in the final. However, they continued to "boycott" certain events leading up to the final, such as the press conference session, official training, and the dinner hosted by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

What both teams showcased in the final match was the peak of the drama. Real, who were not favored from the start, found themselves increasingly submerged after trailing 0-1 in the first half. However, armed with a champion's mentality and an unyielding spirit, "Los Blancos" managed to fight back and take a 2-1 lead. At this point, drama emerged once again when striker Ferran Torres brought Barca level, making the score 2-2 and forcing the match to continue into extra time.

Drama can arise, one of which is triggered by the fact that this is a do-or-die match for Real. The only hope for "Los Blancos" to win a trophy relies on the Copa del Rey. This factor drives Vinicius Junior and his teammates to compete until the last drop of blood.

The need to win the Copa del Rey has become an effective motivation for Real players. It is no surprise that the underestimated Real was able to put up a fight and even surprise Barca. In fact, in the previous two "El Clasico" matches, Real had always been defeated by significant margins.

Undoubtedly, this edition of "El Clasico" feels like a mini fairy tale for Real. They approach the final as underdogs due to their poor record against Barca this season, experiencing a drought in goals, and still haunted by a painful defeat to Arsenal, yet they managed to challenge Barca, who are touted to realize their "quadruple" dream.

Pedri's goal in the 28th minute seemed to legitimize the non-favorite status of Real. From the outset, Barcelona had dictated the game, leaving Real to merely defend without being able to mount any significant counterattacks.

Everything changed in the second half. The decision of Real Madrid's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, to bring in Kylian Mbappe paid off handsomely. The French passport holder emerged as a game-changer, opening the scoring for Real. His maneuvers and speed troubled Barcelona's defensive line. Frenkie De Jong even had to foul Mbappe as he penetrated the heart of his team's defense.

De Jong's action resulted in a yellow card as well as a free kick for Real. The free kick was executed directly by Mbappe. The French player cleverly spotted a gap in Barcelona's wall and brought Real to equalize the score.

Mbappe's goal ignited the fighting spirit of the Real players. They then became confident that Barca could still be defeated. This confidence was evident with Aurelien Tchouameni's header goal, taking advantage of a corner kick situation.

When in the lead, Real fell victim to the complacency that has long characterized Barca. The Real players did not strengthen their defense by playing a low defensive line, but instead continued to press using a high defensive line.

That situation was exploited by Ferran Torres to deceive the Real defender. Torres overcame goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a one-on-one situation, thereby taking the match into extra time.

The climax of the drama occurred in the second half of extra time. As the match seemed destined to proceed to a penalty shootout, Real was taken by surprise by a powerful shot from Jules Kounde from outside the penalty area four minutes before the end of regulation time.

I am very happy for the fans, for our team, for the coaching staff, for everyone, and also for the club. It is truly amazing.

The trophy accompanies Barca on their journey towards perfection under coach Hansi Flick. The "Blaugrana" has the potential to achieve a "quadruple" or four titles in a single season. After winning the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey becomes the second trophy that Flick has won in his debut season.

Two trophies for Barca could still increase before the season ends. Barca is on the verge of winning the La Liga title and is still in pursuit of the UEFA Champions League trophy. If the dream of a "quadruple" comes true, Flick will forever be remembered as the first coach of Barca to deliver four trophies in his debut season.

"I am very happy for the fans, for our team, for the coaching staff, for everyone, and also for the club. It is truly amazing. They deserve it, and I am very pleased. Tonight is a great moment, even though the second half was poor," said Barca Coach Hansi Flick.

On the other hand, Real is increasingly heading towards emptiness with this defeat. The only remaining hope for Real is La Liga. Currently, Real is four points behind Barca at the top of the standings. Considering Barca's superiority this season, the hope of winning the league seems too heavy for Real.

"The game was balanced. We gave a high-quality performance. We were close to lifting the cup," said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. (REUTERS)