The third El Clásico of the season took place in Sevilla. Winning this one could give a team not only glory but also a trophy to take home. For FC Barcelona, this was another stop on their road to try to win the four trophies available for them this season. For Real Madrid, it was the chance to turn their terrible season around.
Barcelona began pressing Real from the very first minutes of the game. The ball tended to stay with the Catalan players and rarely left Real’s half of the field. Barcelona managed to get their first corner in just the third minute and kept the level of pressure as time went on. Their efforts led to a striking opening goal. Pedri performed a long pass to get the ball to Lamine Yamal, who stood by Thibaut Courtois’ net. The young player lured most of Real’s defense towards him, and as they focused on not letting him find a better position for a shot, he passed the ball back to Pedri. The midfielder then finished the action off with a beautiful goal.
The opening of the score only fuelled the already tense atmosphere. The remaining 15 minutes of the first half saw a few corners and two yellow cards, but no other goal materialised from the efforts. It ended with Barcelona in the lead and Real needing to pick up the pace.
Right before the second half began, Kylian Mbappe made an appearance on the field, replacing Rodrygo. He seemed to have breathed some life back into the lackluster team. Real began attacking much more aggressively, taking away the control of the game that Barcelona had had since the first minutes. In the 70th minute, Mbappe was fouled by Frankie de Jong not far from Wojciech Szczęsny’s goal. De Jong was shown a yellow, and Real got the chance to perform a free kick from a very promising position. Mbappe was the one who took it and converted it into a goal for his team. With twenty minutes of regular time left, the score stood at 1:1.
The tide shifted in Real’s direction. Invigorated by eliminating Barcelona’s lead, they pushed even harder than before. Less than ten minutes after the free kick, they scored once more. This time, it was Aurelien Tchouameni who packed the ball into Szczęsny’s net after a corner.
Not all hope was lost for the Catalan team, as it wasn’t long before they equalised the score, due to the efforts of Yamal and Ferran Torres. Yamal passed the ball to Torres, who only had Rudiger and Courtois standing between him and the net. Real’s goalkeeper made a mistake that allowed Torres to move past him and shoot at what was essentially an empty goal. Rudiger tried to get to the ball before it crossed the line, but he wasn’t quick enough. The score stood at 2:2. It would stay there until the end of the second half.
After a quick break, the half an hour of extra time began. The exhaustion was showing in the players’ moves. The intensity of the game dropped, and many people believed that penalties were imminent. Although both teams noted some great actions, neither was able to convert them into a goal. That was until the 116th minute, in which Jules Kounde turned the game on its head.
With only a few minutes left until the end of extra time, both teams focused mostly on not conceding a goal before the penalty shootout. Luka Modric tried to pass the ball to one of his teammates, but it was intercepted by Kounde. Barcelona’s player quickly moved past Real’s defence and shot it into the bottom corner of Courtois’ net. There was very little that the goalkeeper could do. Screams errupted from the stands as the Catalan team gathered around Kounde to celebrate what would soon officially become the goal that won them the title.
With Barcelona’s victory looking more likely with every passing second, tensions grew within Real. Not long before the final whistle, Rudiger was so furious at the referee that he threw an object toward him from the benches. He received a red card and had to be held back by his teammates before being escorted from the field. Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez were also shown reds.
One thing is sure: this El Clásico will not be forgotten. The game was close all the way through, and proved stressful for the fans of both teams. In the end, it was the Culers who rejoiced. The loss puts Real in a tough position. They already lost the Supercopa de España and got knocked out of the Champions League. They are also four points behind Barcelona in the La Liga standings. While Barca has the chance to win 4/4 major trophies, Real could finish the season with nothing to show for it.
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