FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are two Spanish powerhouses with a historic rivalry. Every game played between the two is labeled El Clásico (the classic) and has been dominated by the star-studded Barcelona team in recent games this season.
“Every El Clasico you just have to tune in, not just because of the rivalry, but it is always entertaining seeing these 2 clubs with great stories coming out of every match,” said sophomore Soren Scarpaci.
The 2025 Copa Del Rey Final was a football match to mark the Copa Del Rey tournament winner, represented by many Spanish clubs. But before the match, Real Madrid struck controversy, claiming that referee Ricardo Bengoetxea was biased towards FC Barcelona, and they wanted him removed, even with some reports saying they wouldn’t play if he were the referee.
The match started very offensive, with both Barcelona and Madrid’s defenses letting through easy opportunities that were close to being goals. Superstar midfielder Jude Belignham misplaced a pass near the halfway line to Barcelona Midfielder Pedri. With this, Pedri was able to place the ball down the wing to 17-year-old Lamine Yama,l finding Pedri on the run from midfield, hitting a beautiful shot outside the box to give them the 1-0 lead early in the first half.
“I have been saying this entire season that Pedri is one of the best contributors a team can have. He doesn’t need to physically get on the score sheet even though he did this game, but just his ability to create opportunities is still insane to me,” said Spanish teacher and sports fan Eric Bonanno.
After this, Madrid played a horrible first half, not being able to complete passes and getting pressured by the Barcelona attack. The first half ended 1-0 for Barcelona, and it seemed as if this would be an easy victory for the number 1-ranked Spanish team.
“Barcelona just had absolute control in the first half with Madrid not being able to get it past their own half without interceptions from the Barcelona midfielders, who have put on a show this whole season,” said Bonanno.
But near the beginning of the second half, Kylian Mbappe subbed in. The French superstar and World Cup winner struggled at the beginning of the season, just signing for Real Madrid from Paris. But as the season has progressed, he has been able to fit into the perfect role for Real Madrid. Within minutes of his substitution, he hit a beautiful free kick, reflecting off the post, drawing the game in the seventieth minute.
“Energy completely shifted once Mbappe came in, and he is always making his case on why he is one of the best in the world,” said sophomore Alex Tibinkowski.
The momentum seemed to shift when, only 7 minutes later, Defensive Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was able to get his head on the ball, coming from a corner kick, and stick it in the back of the net, giving Real Madrid a 2-1 lead with around 13 minutes left in regulation.
“Barcelona’s backline has always had the problem with conceding goals in a short amount of time; they play way too high up, so it’s easy for defenders to dissect them on the counterattack,” said Bonanno.
Down 1 goal, Barcelona needed a goal to get momentum back and possibly send it into extra time. But instead of playing defensively and securing the win, Madrid decided to move their whole backline into an attacking position, leading Lamine Yamal to send a beautiful ball down the field to Ferran Torres, who was able to slip past the goalie and put the ball in an empty net.
“Just insane, in the 84th minute Madrid just needed to hold on for 6 more minutes and they would have had the win in the bag,” said Scarpaci.
Barcelona now had all the momentum, and with 4 minutes of additional time, went all out to try and win the game in regulation. Star striker Raphina came to the edge of the box and collided with a Real Madrid defender in the absolute final minute of the game. A penalty was to be awarded to Barcelona with the last kick of the game to decide the fate of the match. But then the referee got called over to take a look at the collision again. After 5 minutes of review, it was marked as no foul on the play, and a yellow card was given to Raphina for flopping.
“Final minutes as a Barcelona fan were an insane rollercoaster, it’s a very tough call to make, but extra time would prove who was the better team,” said Bonanao.
After 90 minutes regulation ended 2-2, with an extra 15 minutes half remaining to decide the winner. Barcelona’s risky highline finally did them some good, not allowing Madrid to even think about creating opportunities. The 115th minute had come around, and veteran for Real Madrid Luka Modric misplaced a pass straight to Barcelona player Jules Kounde, who hit a powerful shot outside the box straight into the bottom left corner to win the game for Barcelona in dramatic fashion.
“That was for sure one of the craziest finishes to a match we have seen this season, and it just shows the type of run Barcelona has been on as of late; they are the leaders of Spain,” said Scarpaci.
That game made it their 4th loss to Barcelona this year, and recently they matched up again in a Spain league matchup, which Barcelona ended up winning 4-3, making their overall record this year 5-0 against the Spanish powerhouse. Today, Barcelona plays Espanyol at 3:30 in La Liga, with either a draw or a win securing the number one spot.