With a stunning strike, FC Barcelona star Pedri opened the scoreline in the Copa del Rey 2025 final against Real Madrid.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off in the highly anticipated 2025 Copa del Rey final, a match already fueled by controversy before kickoff. In the first half, Barcelona star Pedri delivered a brilliant strike to open the scoring in the final.
Although Barcelona dominated possession early, they struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. That changed in the 28th minute when, after Pau Cubarsi recovered the ball, Pedri lofted a pass toward Lamine Yamal. Yamal returned the ball to Pedri at the edge of the box, where the midfielder unleashed a stunning shot, leaving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with no chance.
Pedri has fond memories of scoring against Real Madrid. This marked the second time he has found the net in an El Clásico, the first coming in the 2023 Spanish Super Cup final, where he helped Barcelona claim a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid to lift the trophy.
Mbappe and Tchouameni lead Real Madrid’s comeback
Despite Barca opened the scoreline, Kylian Mbappe made an immediate impact after coming off the bench for the second half. In the 70th minute, after being fouled near the edge of the box, the French striker stepped up to take the free kick himself, curling a shot past Wojciech Szczesny at the near post and catching the Barcelona goalkeeper by surprise.
Beyond the importance of the goal for Real Madrid, it also marked a special personal milestone for Mbappe: it was the first direct free-kick goal of his professional career.
Just minutes later, in the 77th, Arda Guler delivered a pinpoint corner that found Aurelien Tchouameni, who powered a tremendous header into the net to complete Real Madrid’s comeback.
Ferran Torres levels the score
Barcelona struggled in the second half once Real Madrid began pressing higher up the pitch, but Ferran Torres stepped up at the perfect moment. In the 84th minute, Courtois came off his line to intercept a long ball from Yamal, but Torres beat him to it, flicked the ball forward, and calmly finished into an open net.
