Another European soccer weekend is in the books and as always, it delivered plenty to talk about. For a start, how about Spain‘s Copa del Rey final? We got a Clásico treat from Barcelona and Real Madrid, a game that lived up to both the hype and the vitriol pregame (the latter from Madrid in particular). We also got closure to the Premier League title race as Liverpool clinched it at Anfield, in front of their fans, with a 5-1 rout of Tottenham. Job done.
In Serie A, Inter Milan’s troubling slide has seen Napoli take a three-point lead in the title race and serves as the worst kind of warmup for the Nerazzurri before this week’s UEFA Champions League semifinal date with Barcelona. Oh, and we got talking points galore from the FA Cup semis — Crystal Palace and Man City punched their tickets to meet at Wembley on May 17 — the German Bundesliga as Bayern Munich‘s title celebrations were put on hold another week, and Manchester United among others. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.
Wild Copa del Rey final is a treat for the neutral, even as it leaves plenty of fallout in the rubble
Given the poisonous preamble to the Copa del Rey final — from Real Madrid TV’s preemptive hit job on referee Andres De Burgos Bengoetxea, to De Burgos Bengoetxea’s tears during the pregame news conference, to suggestions Real Madrid would boycott the game as if it were the Ballon d’Or ceremony, to LaLiga president Javier Tebas saying this “is not football, it is a power grab” — we should likely feel privileged to have witnessed a dramatic roller coaster of the game chock-full of sublime skill, which saw Barcelona win 3-2 after extra time in Seville.
Refereeing controversy? There was a bit of that too, though the biggest call — Raúl Asencio‘s sliding tackle on Raphinha in the sixth minute of injury time in which the defender got none of the ball, instead kicking the winger’s ankle — ended up going against Barcelona, not Real Madrid. (It was the correct call, in my opinion, though I can see how some might disagree given the lengthy review before it was overturned.)
That didn’t stop unruly protests from the Madrid players at the end of the game resulting in three red cards including one for Antonio Rüdiger, who thought it would be a good idea to signal his displeasure by flinging an object toward the people on the pitch. (He has since apologized, but it won’t help him escape a hefty ban.)
The first half was pretty much a Barcelona monologue, despite the absences of Alejandro Balde and, especially, Robert Lewandowski. Pedri reminded us that even as he plays a deeper position these days, he’s more than back to what he was: one of the best midfielders in the world. Real Madrid, with a banged-up Kylian Mbappé on the bench, struggled to get out of their half and managed just one shot (off target) plus a couple counters ruled out by offside. Their manager Carlo Ancelotti, looking more nervous and irritable than I’ve seen him in a long time, got himself booked inside half an hour.
But with nothing more to lose, Ancelotti sent on Mbappé at halftime and it was like flicking a switch. Suddenly, Wojciech Szczesny was making a string of saves, Vinicius Jr. was coming alive, and you saw that white-hot fury that is part of Madrid lore. It took a while for Barca to capitulate, but Mbappé’s free kick — and Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration — and Aurélien Tchouaméni‘s header did the trick. Madrid’s lead lasted a mere seven minutes until 17-year-old Lamine Yamal‘s wizardry (yeah, the youngest player on the pitch was also the best player on the pitch) teed up Ferran Torres to evade a banged-up Rüdiger and a desperate Thibaut Courtois (who rushed out to the edge of his penalty area) to slot into an empty net for the equalizer.
