Lamine Yamal After Barca\'s Copa Win: Real Madrid Can\'t Handle Us
Barcelona secured a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Real Madrid in Saturday\'s Copa del Rey final, with Jules Koundé scoring the decisive goal in the 116th minute.
The triumph marked Barcelona\'s third win against Madrid this season, following their 4-0 LaLiga victory at the Bernabéu in October, and 5-2 Spanish Supercopa final win in January. Barcelona leads Madrid by four points in LaLiga with another Clásico scheduled for May 11.
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona before Madrid responded through goals from Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni to take a 2-1 lead. Ferran Torres equalized with six minutes remaining in regulation, forcing extra time where Koundé intercepted a Luka Modric pass before firing home the winner.
Barcelona\'s 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal played a crucial role in the victory, providing the assist for both Pedri\'s opener and Torres\' equalizer. The win continues Barcelona\'s pattern of comeback victories in 2025, following similar turnarounds against Benfica, Atlético Madrid, and Celta Vigo.
The match featured considerable controversy in the closing moments of regulation time when a penalty awarded to Barcelona was overturned after VAR review. Real Madrid had earlier had a goal and two penalties ruled out for offside during the contest.
Barcelona\'s victory keeps their hopes of a treble alive as they maintain their LaLiga lead and prepare to face Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals. The win provides significant momentum for Hansi Flick\'s side as they pursue additional trophies this season.
\"I said to [Barça defender] Ronald [Araújo] when we were speaking in the hotel earlier: \'If they score one goal, no problem,\'\" Yamal told reporters. \"If they score two goals? No problem. They cannot handle us this year -- we have shown it.\"
\"It\'s really unbelievable, they didn\'t give up. Everyone is proud of this team. They deserved it. It was a huge win tonight,\" said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick in his post-match news conference. \"Jules, in extra time, he saved two chances from Real and he made the goal. It\'s unbelievable, it\'s really unbelievable.\"
\"Today was great. The atmosphere the whole day was really fantastic,\" Flick added. \"It\'s great for everyone and gives us confidence maybe for more.\"
The match concluded with tensions running high as Real Madrid had three players sent off in the closing moments of extra time.