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Copa del Rey: Barca pumel Real Madrid 3-2 to emerge winner

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Barcelona hammered Real Madrid 3-2 after extra time, with Jules Kounde’s late strike sealing victory in a thrilling 2025 Copa del Rey final on Saturday in Seville.

The Catalans, aiming for a quadruple this season, won the first major trophy of Hansi Flick’s reign as coach and a record-extending 32nd Spanish Cup dramatically.

Pedri sent Barcelona ahead at La Cartuja, but two Real Madrid goals in seven second-half minutes, from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, pulled the Spanish and European champions level.

However, Ferran Torres struck in the 84th minute to take the game to extra time, and Kounde drilled home to win it for the La Liga leaders.

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Substituted Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger was sent off in the final seconds for appearing to throw an object onto the pitch towards the referee, and Lucas Vázquez, also replaced, was dismissed for further protest.

Real Madrid’s Spanish defender #35 Raul Asencio (BACK) and Barcelona’s Brazilian forward #11 Raphinha fight for the ball during their Spanish Cup, Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) final football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at La Cartuja stadium in Seville on April 26, 2025. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)
“It was a good time to bring joy to our fans — we have to enjoy it but without forgetting the Champions League semis are coming,” Torres told La 1, with Barca hosting Inter Milan on Wednesday.

“They can make a party — for today, it’s OK,” a delighted Flick, who has won all seven finals he has coached in his career, told Movistar.

Madrid started with top scorer Mbappe on the bench after an ankle injury and lost Ferland Mendy early on with a thigh issue.

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Carlo Ancelotti sent on Fran Garcia in his place, with the job of shackling Barcelona’s dazzling teenage winger Lamine Yamal.

The 17-year-old Spain star, who dyed his hair blond for the game, led the assault on Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

The Catalans, who won the first two Clasicos this season in La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, scoring nine goals in the process, controlled the ball.

They took the lead after 28 minutes, Pedri placing the ball into the top corner with precision and power from the edge of the box.

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It was a sensational goal, starting with a smart Pau Cubarsi interception in his half.

Pedri spread the play out to Yamal on the right, who cut inside and held the ball up until the Canary Islander arrived with a sight of goal.

Barcelona’s opener brought a defensive Madrid out of their shell — and also Mbappe off the bench to warm up.

The excellent Jude Bellingham netted but was offside, and Vinicius Junior would have won a penalty as Inigo Martinez hacked him down but had also strayed off in the build-up.

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Barcelona could have doubled their lead, with Dani Olmo’s corner evading several players and bouncing off the far post, with Cubarsi unable to get there as Dani Ceballos held him back.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was lenient with some heated Madrid tackles, perhaps cowed by Friday’s drama as the Spanish champions seethed at his pre-match comments denouncing attacks on officials by the club’s television channel.

Madrid sent Mbappé on for Rodrygo Goes at half-time, and soon he and Vinicius began to work on Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

End To End
Mbappe pulled Madrid level almost on his own in the 70th minute.

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The striker surged forward and was brought down on the edge of the box, firing the free kick home off the post.

Seven minutes later, Madrid took the lead, Tchouameni finding space to head Arda Guler’s corner past the helpless Szczesny.

Barcelona responded when Yamal played a delicious pass over the top for Torres, which drew both Rudiger and Courtois, but the Spaniard pipped them there and rolled home.

Controversy unsurprisingly reared its head before the match headed to extra time.

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Barcelona clamoured for a penalty when Rudiger appeared to bring down Torres, and then were awarded one deep in stoppage time as Raphinha tumbled under pressure from Raul Asencio.

However, the referee, called to review the incident by VAR, overturned his decision.

In extra time, Barcelona were ascendant and probed for a potential winner.

They eventually found it when Kounde intercepted an uncharacteristically loose Luka Modric pass and beat Courtois from outside the box, sparking wild celebrations.

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Rudiger’s dismissal and Madrid’s pre-match histrionics regarding the refereeing team will ensure the repercussions run on — and the teams meet again in La Liga in May, which could decide the title race.

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Chelsea Win Women’s FA Cup To Complete Domestic Treble

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Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday to complete an English domestic treble in French coach Sonia Bompastor’s first season in charge.

Sandy Baltimore scored twice, either side of setting up Catarina Macario for the west London side’s second.

France international Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time before Macario headed in her free-kick to put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute.

Baltimore then wrapped up the scoring against United, last season’s FA Cup winners, in the first minute of added-on time when she turned Lisa Naalsund before lashing the ball home from close range.

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‘Invincibles’ Chelsea had already been crowned English champions, becoming the first team to remain unbeaten in a 22-game Women’s Super League season as they won their sixth successive domestic league title after previously lifting the League Cup.

Chelsea’s English defender #04 Millie Bright lifts the trophy as Chelsea’s players celebrate on the pitch after the English Women’s FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, in north west London, on May 18, 2025. Chelsea won the game 3-0.

“It tops off a brilliant season,” Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert, the player of the match, told the BBC.

“I’m so proud of the group. A lot of hard work’s gone into this. To win in the fashion we did, we were holding on a bit at 1-0 but the second goal puts the game to bed.”

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Reflecting on how the side had adapted to Bompastor’s methods, she added: “There’s a lot of change but you just have to embrace it.

“She’s a manager, she’s a winner, as management and as a player, so you’ve got to respect that. She’s done a brilliant job since she’s come in. And a treble, what a way to start it!”

Bompastor took over at Chelsea after long-serving and successful manager Emma Hayes left to become the United States’ national women’s team manager.

But their hopes of a quadruple were scuppered when they lost 8-2 on aggregate to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League — a tournament they’ve yet to win for all their domestic triumphs.

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At Wembley, in a crowd of over 74,000 featuring new Chelsea women’s team investor Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — as well his tennis champion wife Serena Williams — the Blues dominated the first half but were kept waiting for an opening goal.

Chelsea’s players celebrate on the pitch after the English Women’s FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, in north west London, on May 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

It looked as if United would go into the break with the game still goalless but poor defending from Celin Bizet saw her step into Cuthbert and bring the Scotland midfielder down, with referee Stacey Fullicks wasting no time in awarding a penalty.

Baltimore, despite the massed ranks of United fans behind the goal trying to distract her and some mind games from Phallon Tullis-Joyce, coolly sent the United goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

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An improved United had their chances to equalise early in the second half and even the introduction of England star Ella Toone off the bench could not bring the Cup holders a goal.

And any hopes of a United fight back were dashed by Macario and Baltimore’s late goals.

AFP

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Just in: Arsenal pumel Newcastle 1-0 at Emirates

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By Emmanuel Agaji

Arsenal pummeled hard fighting Newcastle 1-0 at the Emirates stadium on Sunday.

The first half ended in a draw but at the 69th minute , Declan Rice hammered in a volley that made it 1-0.

Towards the end, Newcastle mounted pressure on Arsenal but the Arteta boys held tight till the final whistle.

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Just in: Nigeria’s Favour Ofili breaks 150-metre world record

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Nigerian sprint sensation, Favour Ofili, delivered a historic performance at the 2025 Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday, breaking the world record in the women’s 150m with a sensational time of 15.85s (2.0m/s) at Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

The 22-year-old became the first woman in history to run the event in under 16 seconds, shattering the previous mark of 16.23s set by Bahamian Olympic champion, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, in 2018.

Ofili’s run headlined an impressive showing for Nigerians at the high-profile street meet, which featured top global athletes in a fan-friendly, open-air environment.

World record holder and 100m hurdles star, Tobi Amusan clocked 12.53s to finish second in her heat behind American Keni Harrison (12.44s), qualifying for the final later in the day.

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Amusan, who previously ran 12.74s and 12.66s in Xiamen and Keqiao, respectively, is building momentum ahead of the summer championships.

Sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike also impressed, running a season’s best of 10.20 seconds to finish second in his 100m heat behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who won in 10.13s.

Onwuzurike’s performance was enough to earn a spot in the final and marks a strong return to form in his 2025 campaign.

The Adidas Atlanta City Games is a unique street-style athletics event held outside traditional stadium settings, bringing athletes and fans closer in an electric atmosphere.

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