Barcelona – Real Madrid: Hansi Flick And Finals Love Story Continues (3-2)

Barcelona kickstarted their treble hunt securing an epic victory against rivals, Real Madrid. Pedri put his team ahead through a marvelous strike. Real Madrid appeared second best until Carlo Ancelotti’s spate of alterations in the second half. The game extended to extra time, through which Jules Koundé came out as the unlikely hero to put the game to bed. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

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Real Madrid came out victorious in the last two times, the biggest clubs in Spain faced each other in the Copa del Rey final. Cristiano Ronaldo leaped into an orbit to head the ball home in 2011, giving José Mourinho his first silverware with Los Blancos. Three years later, Gareth Bale impersonated Usain Bolt to override Marc Bartra on the left flank as if they were racing for an Olympic medal to put the ball through José Manuel Pinto.

Eleven years later, Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to clash for the same trophy. Nonetheless, the context of both teams through which they came to face each other was utterly different. The Catalans arrived in April at their peak, competing for a potential third treble in their history, whereas Real Madrid might come out trophyless at the end of the season as they are adrift by four points with Barcelona in LaLiga, and were kicked out of the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal.

There has been a controversial dispute leading up to the final. In the pre-match press conference, the referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, collapsed in tears as he expressed his sorrow and the negative impact he and his family had dealt with regarding the severe criticism from Real Madrid’s in-house TV channel. Los Blancos came out with a strong response, calling his words “unacceptable.” As a consequence, there had been suggestions that Real Madrid would withdraw from the final until they released a statement denying any intention of pulling out of the game.

Mbappé was not fully recovered from injury. Thus, Carlo Ancelotti resorted to old lineups. A diamond 4-4-2 in which Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vázquez filled the fullback spots, and Antonio Rüdiger kept his partnership with Raúl Asencio. Aurélien Tchouaméni sat at the base of the diamond, with Dani Ceballos and Federico Valverde on his sides. Ahead, Jude Bellingham completed the diamond shape, with Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo leading the attack.

For Barcelona, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, and Gerard Martín formed the defense. Frenkie de Jong joined Pedri in the pivot. Ahead, Raphinha operated on the left side, whereas Lamine Yamal hugged the touchlines on the right. Ferran Torres led the attack behind Dani Olmo, replacing the injured Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona dominate proceedings

The start of the game hinted at a scenario similar to the Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid ceded possession to Barcelona and looked to capitalize on counterattacks. To deal with Dani Olmo between the lines, Carlo Ancelotti instructed Tchouaméni to stick with him, which made Real Madrid sit in a 4-1-4-1 shape.

High up the pitch, Vinícius Júnior initiated his team’s press, directing the play sideways. In the first minutes of the clash, Real Madrid was able to suffocate Barcelona near the left flank, making Rodrygo and Lucas Vázquez jump on Iñigo Martínez and Gerard Martin, respectively. Moreover, Bellingham and Valverde occupied Frenkie De Jong and Pedri. That prevented Barcelona from connecting via diagonal passes and forced them to deliver loose balls, which Raúl Asencio collected and looked to turn over immediately. However, the Catalans were able to counter by capitalizing on Asencio’s miscued pass and running in free spaces, exploiting Vázquez and Asencio’s advanced positions.

Afterward, Real Madrid retreated to their half. However, Hansi Flick’s men found holes within their rivals’ block. Raphinha narrowed inside, pulling Lucas Vázquez out of his position. That left room for Gerard Martin to push on and receive in space near the touchlines. When direct access was impossible, Raphinha came deeper down the channel to receive between the lines and find Ferran Torres, who came short to access the wide left back.

4th minute: Iñigo Martínez picks out the dropping Raphinha, who drags Lucas Vázquez with him and feeds Ferran Torres between the lines. Raúl Asencio, late on the jump, allows the former to find Gerard Martin behind Lucas Vázquez.

Hansi Flick permitted his players to interchange positions down the central channels, with Lamine Yamal and Gerard Martin tasked with holding the width to stretch Real Madrid’s lines laterally. By doing so, it enabled Jules Koundé to come from behind and attack the space between Antonio Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy. Not only did Lamine Yamal attract the opposite left back, but also Ceballos had been drawn across, allowing Pau Cubarsí to slice open Real Madrid’s defense to find Koundé.

The Catalans didn’t let their rivals play their usual game, as they kept close and optimal distances, clogging the central corridors once they lost possession. That served them well in counterpressing driving Real Madrid wide, which halted Los Blancos’ potential counterattacks.

Barcelona exarcerabate Real Madrid’s situation

Barcelona kept pushing forward, exploiting Real Madrid’s defensive woes on the left side. Raphinha was a nightmare for Lucas Vázquez with his gravitational pull, and his movement around and behind the latter enabled Gerard Martin to slide passes behind Vázquez for Raphinha to play square passes to the box.

In deep buildup, Real Madrid relied on long chips, counting on Jude Bellingham’s ability to collect second balls and surge forward from Barcelona’s half. Twenty-three minutes in, the white team gathered the play on the right side, drawing the Catalans’ block upward for Raúl Asencio to clip the ball over the top toward Bellingham, who sprinted behind Barcelona’s highline. Fran García alone attacked the box from the left and was found through Vinícius Júnior linking between him and Bellingham via short passes at the edge of the box.

Five minutes later, Pau Cubarsí intercepted Bellingham’s pass that would put Vinícius Júnior in one-versus-one against the goalkeeper, turning the situation to Barcelona’s favor. Pedri picks out Lamine Yamal, who penetrated the box, luring Fran García, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Federico Valverde. In the meantime, Raphinha and Ferran Torres pushed Real Madrid’s defense backward. That vacated the edge of the box for Pedri to fire the ball into the left corner of the net.

Barcelona was able to work the ball out through Real Madrid’s block, resorting to rotations to evacuate the space in the middle of the park and generate diagonal passing lanes to find players between the lines.

30th minute: Pedri comes short, drawing Valverde up, Frenkie De Jong shifts across, dragging Jude Bellingham with him, and Dani Olmo moves deeper, pulling out Tchouaméni. That frees the center for Jules Koundé to glide the pass to Ferran Torres and access the wide options on the left side.

Barcelona’s high press drove Real Madrid sideways as the Catalans’ trio in the middle of the park man-marked the white team’s midfielders to deny central progression. Thus, as the ball went near the touchlines, Barcelona pounced in packs to suffocate Real Madrid there. Nonetheless, Carlo Ancelotti’s men were able to bypass the Catalans via off-ball movements from Valverde toward the wide channel to vacate the center for Bellingham. The latter found no problems in spinning around his marker, leaving him in his wake and carrying the ball onward.

Real Madrid built up from the right to arrive at the left. From there, Vinícius Júnior tended to whip crosses, which the opposite backline cleared away. However, Real Madrid’s distribution around the box allowed them to collect the second ball and break down the rival’s defense. Fortunately, Barcelona’s offside trap denied Bellingham’s equalizer.

38th minute: Jude Bellingham creates separation with Pedri to combine in a one-two with Lucas Vázquez, who drives forward behind Gerard Martin. In the meantime, Vinicius Junior’s diagonal run pushes Barcelona defense backward, permitting Fran Garcia to receive in space and pick out Junior behind Jules Koundé. The former plays the ball across the goal, but nobody is close to take advantage of the Brazilian’s service.

Real Madrid rose to the occassion

Rodrygo came on for Kylian Mbappé. Real Madrid kept going long, with Jude Bellingham extracting the second balls. Four minutes into the second half, the English midfielder pounced on Frenkie De Jong’s header to regain the ball. Bellingham dribbled past Pedri, breaking down Barcelona’s second line and setting free Vinícius Júnior behind. The latter took steps further from the net, which facilitated Wojciech Szczęsny saving the Brazilian shot.

Real Madrid looked to take advantage of the distance that Jules Koundé had to cover before he arrived to press Fran Garcia. As a result, Courtois directly fed Garcia, who exploited the situation in order to target Bellingham between the lines. From there, the English international won the ball in the air, combined with Mbappé, who ran behind Barcelona’s backline to receive Bellingham’s service.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team became aggressive high up the pitch, forcing Barcelona to go long. However, it left Real Madrid vulnerable as Ferran Torres dropped deeper, pulling Antonio Rüdiger out of his position and laying the ball off to Frenkie De Jong. With Tchouaméni being attracted by Torres, Dani Olmo freely surged forward, which saw Barcelona attack in a three-versus-two situation.

As aforementioned, Thibaut Courtois’ direct access to the fullbacks allowed them time on the ball to decide the subsequent actions, be it going long or inviting Barcelona’s fullbacks and one of the front two to vacate the central channel for Real Madrid’s center-back to progress through.

56th minute: Thibaut Courtois finds Valverde, who baits Gerard Martin and Raphinha. That allows Raúl Asencio territory to walk through and picks out Bellingham between the lines. Iñigo Martínez jumps onto leaving Arda Güler free to receive near the flank. The latter sets Mbappé behind who penetrates the box and drags Barcelona’s players toward him, vacating the space for Vinicius Junior in zone fourteen. The Brazilian displays an individual moment toying with Jules Koundé and Gerard Martin. But he fails to put the ball home.

Barcelona’s press appeared to be scattered, especially with Real Madrid’s substitutes, including Luka Modrić, who intended to entice Raphinha and Ferran Torres to soak up pressure and free the center-backs. With Koundé arriving late, Antonio Rüdiger and Fran Garcia outnumbered Lamine Yamal on the left. As a consequence, Rüdiger sliced the pass toward Bellingham, who dropped out to lay off the ball to the wide Vinícius Júnior. Pau Cubarsí shifted across to shut down the Brazilian winger; however, the latter fed Mbappé behind Barcelona’s defense.

Fourteen minutes into the second half, Luka Modrić jumped onto Pedri, dispossessing him in Barcelona’s defensive third and initiating Real Madrid’s turnover. Vinícius Júnior collected the ball and flashed it wide.

The white team’s off-ball setup forced Barcelona to play long. However, the lack of intensity, especially from Vinícius Júnior, allowed Jules Koundé to control the ball at ease. Countermovements were Barcelona’s go-to plan to stretch their opponents’ lines vertically and enabled Koundé to prod inside diagonal passes onto runners in behind.

Throughout the game, Jude Bellingham displayed a masterclass in collecting and regaining second balls. The pre-attack that led to Mbappé’s goal from a freekick was a prime example. From Pedri’s left side, Jude Bellingham nudged the ball to Vinícius Júnior. Mbappé took the ball, nutmegging Iñigo Martínez in his way to set himself against the goalkeeper. Frenkie de Jong brought Mbappé down at the edge of the box, driving the referee to book him.

Real Madrid threatened Barcelona via counterattacks on a regular basis. Bellingham’s defensive work contributed to extracting the ball from the Catalans’ feet and launching the counter. In addition, Kylian Mbappé tended to come deeper to draw Pau Cubarsí up, combine with Bellingham, and race out in space behind. Vinícius Júnior burst past Iñigo Martínez and drove toward the byline to cut the ball back. Barcelona’s center-backs’ recovery run prevented Real Madrid from adding the second.

After Tchouaméni’s goal, Real Madrid retreated, with Arda Güler adding himself to the backline to deal with Gerard Martin. Between the lines, Ferran Torres and Pedri generated an overload against Jude Bellingham. That saw Barcelona easily switching the play via short passes toward Lamine Yamal, who attempted to curl his shot. However, Thibaut Courtois saved his team from conceding.

Barcelona refused to give up their faith. As aforementioned, Real Madrid found problems in preventing Barcelona’s inside diagonals. Still six minutes, Lamine Yamal whipped a diagonal pass toward Ferran Torres behind Antonio Rüdiger. A miscommunication between the latter and Courtois set Torres in front of an empty net to level the score.

Barcelona won in extra time

Gavi and Ronald Araújo replaced Frenkie De Jong and Gerard Martin. Due to fatigue, both teams distributed their energy over the thirty minutes.

Central rotations enabled Barcelona to find routes against Real Madrid’s 4-1-4-1 low block. Luka Modrić engaged with Pedri on the left-inside channel, and Fermín López pushed Tchouaméni backward on the right-inside corridor. Ferran Torres came short between the lines to create a numerical superiority in midfield with Gavi over Bellingham. As a result, Ronald Araújo had a spare player to pick out. From there, Barcelona shifted Real Madrid’s block across, and with Torres running in behind, dragging Tchouaméni with him, Gavi was free in the middle of the park to receive and switch the play toward the left.

Real Madrid intended to hurt Barcelona on the break. The dynamics were as follows:. Jules Koundé vacated his space and jumped on Brahim Diaz, who was deeper near the left flank. Mbappé darted wide, drawing Araújo’s attention, and Bellingham dropped off, pulling out Cubarsí to lay the ball off and create space behind for Brahim Diaz to run into.

Moreover, Real Madrid were able to break down Barcelona’s offside trap, capitalizing on players coming late from behind. With Brahim Diaz attracting Jules Koundé, Fran Garcia overlapped the former and raced out in space. Meanwhile, Mbappé attacked the box, readying himself to collect Garcia’s cross. However, Araújo cleared away Real Madrid’s left back service.

The white team was close to paying the price of their rushed actions. The second minute of the second half of extra time saw Eric Garcia cutting the ball off and feeding Torres to draw Asencio up and flick the ball to Fermín López in a one-versus-one situation against Rüdiger at the edge of the box. Fermín López blasted the ball over.

Real Madrid relied on late runs from the fullbacks to tear Barcelona’s offside trap apart. In the second part of extra time, it was Valverde galloping behind to receive balls over the top and forcing the Catalans to retreat. From there, Arda Güler was generous to feed Jude Bellingham, coming late with inswinging crosses. The Englishman could not head one home.

Still five minutes, Real Madrid looked to catch Barcelona off-guard. In a moment of hesitation between standing still or going to collect the ball, Jules Koundé pounced on before Brahim Diaz could reach the ball. Then, Koundé fired a shot in the left bottom of the net to drop the curtain on the Classico.

Takeaways

Barcelona came out victorious, lifting the Copa del Rey for the thirty-second time in their history. A deserved win that put the cherry on the cake on Hansi Flick and his squad’s work throughout the season. One trophy went down, and still LaLiga and the Champions League are on the line for Barcelona to achieve the third treble in the club’s lifetime.

Carlo Ancelotti lost his third Classico in the 2024-25 season. A fact that highlights Real Madrid’s dire situation over the season. It looks like the Italian manager’s days in the white castle are numbered, as Real Madrid appeared in need of fresh blood to lead the team to a potential bright future.

Match plots will be added as soon as possible.