Antonio Rudiger is likely to face a harsh punishment after trying to hurl an ice pack at the referee during Real Madrid’s dramatic loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. An extra-time winner from Jules Kounde saw the Catalan giants secure a 3-2 victory and win the domestic trophy for the 32nd time. They dominated in the early exchanges and broke the deadlock when Pedri found the top corner with a sumptous strike from range.
Kylian Mbappe levelled with a free-kick in the second half before Real Madrid completed the comeback when Aurelien Tchouameni headed home in the closing stages. Barcelona were rocked but managed to regroup and equalise through Ferran Torres, who rounded Thibaut Courtois and slid the ball into an empty net.
A tense period of extra time followed, with Barcelona leaving it late to claim a memorable victory as Kounde found the bottom corner. What followed was a period of utter chaos as Real Madrid’s players were left incensed by the referee’s handling of the match.
The reigning European champions were awarded a penalty, but the decision was promptly overturned due to an offside in the build-up. It prompted an extraordinary loss of control from Rudiger, who had already been substituted and was standing near the bench.
In his moment of fury, the former Chelsea defender ripped an ice pack from his leg and attemped to throw it in the direction of the referee. He also tried to confront the official and needed to be restrained by members of Real Madrid’s coaching team.
Rudiger was shown a red card as a result of his behaviour, with Lucas Vazquez also receiving his marching orders after throwing a tantrum of his own. It would not be a surprise to see Rudiger face additional sanctions due to his behaviour on the touchline.
The result means Real Madrid are facing the possibility of ending the season without winning a single major trophy. They are still in with a shout of claiming the La Liga title but will need to overturn a four-point deficit to Barcelona with five games remaining.
A fruitless campaign would spell trouble for Carlo Ancelotti, who is facing an uncertain future at the Bernabeu ahead of next season. He recently insisted that he was eager to stay in the role for as long as possible, but the decision may already be out of his hands.
Speaking earlier this month, Ancelotti said: “In football, anything is possible. Are you surprised by anything that happens? Nothing surprises me.
“As I’ve always said, I love this job. I loved my first spell here, I love this second spell and I want this to go as far as possible. One day when it ends, I’ll be thankful and take my hat off to this club, that’s all.”
