Naagyei 90.3 Fm Agyapa
In a thrilling Clasico in Seville, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid to win the Copa del Rey, and Jules Kounde scored a screamer in extra time.
The Barcelona defender gained possession of the ball 22 yards away and put a beautiful effort into the bottom corner after the 90-minute match ended in a 2-2 draw and penalties seemed certain.
After Lamine Yamal’s cutback, Barca took the lead thanks to Pedri’s incredible first-time goal from outside the box. Barca had been the superior team in the first half.
After Kylian Mbappe entered as a replacement and curled a free kick that he had won into the bottom corner via the inside of the post, Real Madrid’s performance much improved.
Then Aurelien Tchouameni led Real ahead from the corner of Arda Guler.
However, Ferran Torres sprinted onto Yamal’s long pass, rounded goalie Thibaut Courtois, and slotted in to give Barcelona the equaliser.
When Hansi Flick’s team was given a penalty for a tackle by Raul Asencio on Raphinha during injury time, they believed they had a chance to win it, but the judgement was reversed following a lengthy video assistant referee check.
As a result, Kounde’s fourth goal of the season proved to be the difference in extra time.
The match referees’ scrutiny had dominated the build-up to the match, which culminated in Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Vazquez receiving straight red cards from the Real bench.
Since 2014, when Real Madrid won 2-1 thanks to a spectacular late goal from Gareth Bale, that was the last significant act of a first Clasico final in a major tournament.
The referee takes main stage as Real Fury returns.
Real Madrid and referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea had been the main topics of the pregame build-up.
In an emotional news conference on Friday, Real Madrid’s TV channel released a film that criticised the referee in a number of ways, much like they have done with other officials. He discussed the impact of the video.
That night, the club sent out extremely negative news releases, but they refuted rumours that they could withdraw from the match.
Because of this, every choice the referee made would be scrutinised, but none of them seemed particularly contentious to impartial onlookers.
However, with the score at 2-2 in the 96th minute, the main talking point was revealed.
Goals from both teams were disallowed due to obvious offsides, and Mbappe was not given a penalty for yet another obvious offside during the build-up.
However, with the score at 2-2 in the 96th minute, the main talking point was revealed.
As De Burgos Bengoetxea indicated the location, Asencio slid in on Raphinha. However, he returned after checking for more than three minutes and booked Raphinha for diving before reversing the ruling.
It all boiled over at the very end of the 120 minutes. The referee awarded Mbappe a free kick as he attempted to dismiss an opponent.
The Real bench was incensed. Rudiger seemed to toss something at the referee as a number of players rushed onto the pitch.
Rudiger, who had to be held back by several team-mates, and Vazquez were dismissed, and moments later the final whistle went to confirm Barcelona’s win.
