Carlo Ancelotti’s pursuit for trophies in his Blancos farewell tour got off to a poor start with a Clasico defeat.
Real Madrid’s season took another blow Saturday evening, as a Brahim Diaz error in extra time gifted the Copa del Rey to Barcelona in a dramatic extra time Clasico – one that ended with a 3-2 Barca win. Los Blancos were thoroughly out of the game in the first half, but battled back to force extra time – before a 116th-minute winner from Jules Kounde sealed the contest for the Blaugrana.
Madrid struggled to find a foothold early in the first half. Without Mbappe, Los Blancos tried to sit in and defend. But the same midfield issues that have been plaguing them all season reared their head. Barca cut through Madrid, Lamine Yamal finding space, teasing his man, and cutting back for Pedri, who swept the ball into the top corner from outside the box. It could have been more. Yamal put one wide. Olmo hit the post. Madrid had their moments, though, seeing one goal disallowed and then having a penalty called back due to an offside.
Los Blancos were more energetic when Mbappe came on at the break. Vinicius Jr had a couple of efforts saved, before Mbappe was well denied from close range. The Brazilian was at it again soon after, curling wide after Luka Modric robbed Pedri at the top of the Barca box. Mbappe found the equalizer, curling a free kick in off the post with 20 minutes to play. Aurelien Tchouameni eventually provided the moment of magic, slipping his man and heading home from a corner to give Madrid the lead.
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But it never felt steady. Yamal made sure of it, playing a teasing ball into the feet of Ferran Torres, who rounded the keeper to equalise. Controversy had its role to play in the dying minutes, Barcelona being awarded a penalty – before seeing it waved off deep into stoppage time.
Extra time was predictably cagey. Madrid lacked cutting edge without Vinicius, while Barca’s legs grew weary. Torres came closest in the first period, dragging an effort narrowly wide. Kounde eventually provided the decisive moment, capitalising on a loose pass and smashing home from 20 yards. An already disappointing season goes from bad to worse.
GOAL rates Real Madrid’s players from Estadio de La Cartuja…
AFPGoalkeeper & DefenceThibaut Courtois (5/10):Couldn’t do anything about the Pedri goal. Misjudged the equaliser a bit, and shouldn’t have come off his line. Helpless on the winner.Lucas Vazquez (6/10):A solid shift at right back. Handled Raphinha rather well, all said.Raul Asencio (5/10):Made a brain-dead challenge in second-half stoppage time, and was fortunate to see a penalty chalked off – contact or otherwise.Antonio Rudiger (6/10):Lost track of Ferran Torres on the Barca equaliser. Otherwise his scrappy and reliable self.Ferland Mendy (N/A):Managed less than 15 minutes before needing to be removed with a leg injury.
AFPMidfieldAurelien Tchouameni (8/10):Good when Madrid had the ball, and was handy in winning it back, but badly exposed in open spaces. Scored a lovely header.Federico Valverde (6/10):Spent most of his time covering the spaces his teammates left open.Dani Ceballos (5/10):Had a pretty miserable time, and spent nearly an hour just chasing shadows.Jude Bellingham (8/10):A bit more involved than in recent weeks in a No.10 role. Pulled the strings, flew into tackles, and stretched the defence with aplomb after the break.
AFPAttackVinicius Jr (6/10):Struggled to spring Barca’s high line in the first half. Much more impactful in the second half, before being removed with an apparent injury late on.Rodrygo (4/10):Barely involved, completed eight passes, removed at half time. A pretty miserable showing.- 1Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Stream, TV channels & where to watch
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AFPSubs & ManagerFran Garcia (6/10):Replaced Mendy early, and never really controlled Yamal.Kylian Mbappe (8/10):Changed the game when he came on. Went close twice and then scored one to put Madrid ahead.Arda Guler (7/10):Curled in the corner that led to the Madrid second, and made things happen with his creativity.Luka Modric (6/10):Controlled at times, but his pass led to Kounde’s winner.Brahim Diaz (N/A):Half asleep and allowed Kounde to slip in and bash a winner home.Endrick (N/A):No time to make an impact.Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):Went back to a 4-4-2 with Mbappe unavailable to start. Stuck with it in the second half, but brought his star man on. Madrid’s defensive woes never went away, though, and Barca deserved the win.- https://299260bf121e727bca4de2a3120196da.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-41/html/container.html
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