Hold up! Did you see that? Real Madrid just flipped the script on Barcelona in one of the most electric Copa del Rey finals we’ve seen in years. After Barcelona’s early lead, it looked like they were cruising to victory. But then—BOOM!—Real Madrid did what they do best: turned up the heat and snatched the win right from under Barcelona’s nose. Talk about drama!
Barcelona kicked off the scoring with a picture-perfect goal by Pedri in the 28th minute. A one-two with Lamine Yamal, then wham! Right into the top corner. Real Madrid fans were sweating bullets. But as the first half wrapped up, it was still 1-0 to Barcelona.
Then came the fireworks. Kylian Mbappé stepped up in the 70th minute with a clutch free-kick goal to even things up. It was a beauty. And just when it seemed like the game was headed for extra time, boom again—Aurélien Tchouaméni nailed the header off a corner from Arda Güler in the 77th. Real Madrid was 2-1 up, and the crowd went absolutely wild.
But Barcelona? They weren’t backing down. Ferran Torres pounced on a perfect assist from Lamine Yamal in the 84th minute to bring it back to 2-2. And that’s how it ended—both teams desperately trying to land the knockout blow, but neither could seal the deal.
But let’s talk about the drama, because we’ve got plenty of that too. Before the match even started, Real Madrid wasn’t exactly thrilled with the referee assignment. Apparently, the refs were already on Madrid’s radar after some questionable calls in previous games. Tensions were running high, and Madrid even skipped out on some pre-game media sessions. Classic Madrid, right?
Oh, and Barcelona’s fans? Yeah, they weren’t too happy either. The boos for the Spanish national anthem were deafening when King Felipe VI made his appearance. Oof.
At the end of the day, Real Madrid took home the win, but not without shaking things up. This Copa del Rey final was a showstopper, and we’re here for it. What a way to wrap up the 2025 season.