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On Saturday, April 26, Barcelona defeated arch-rivals Real Madrid 3-2 after extra-time in the final of the Copa del Rey at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville. But their latest trophy win didn’t come without a major controversy during the end of the contest as three of the Real Madrid players, including names like Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez, and Jude Bellingham, were given straight red card for showing dissent at the referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.
During the Copa del Rey final, Barcelona controlled the ball possession for the majority of the contest, and Pedri scored the opening goal for them in the 28th minute with a first-time strike outside the box. After leading 1-0 for a long time, Barcelona allowed Real Madrid to not only equalise the score but also take the lead 2-1 within seven minutes, starting with Kylian Mbappe’s free-kick in the 70th minute before Aurelien Tchouameni scored a header on Arda Guler’s corner.
Jules Kounde scored winning goal for Barcelona in extra-time
Barcelona didn’t stay behind for long, levelling it up 2-2 in the 84th minute via an impressive goal from Ferran Torres after he received a long ball from Lamine Yamal. In the added-time of the second half, Barcelona was given a penalty for Raul Asencio’s challenge on Raphinha, but the decision of the referee was overturned by video assistant referee (VAR) after a long check.
Watch the video of Antonio Rudiger's outburst at the referee here:
The extra-time saw Barcelona take a 3-2 lead in the 116th minute through a Jules Kounde strike, and when Real Madrid were running out of time, Kylian Mbappe was deemed to have fouled the opposition player while pushing for an late equaliser. It led to the emotions boiling over among Real Madrid players on the pitch and the bench, and to control the situation, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who was subject to criticism from the Galacticos, gave red card to Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez, and Jude Bellingham.
The Real Madrid defender, Antonio Rudiger, looked genuinely angry at the referee, and he lost complete cool, throwing object at him despite being red carded before his teammates tried to defuse the situation.
