3 key passes, 14/18 duels won: Real Madrid fall short but English midfielder shines in Copa final defeat | OneFootball

Real Madrid lost by the barest of margins against FC Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey final and are now facing a season without three major trophies.

Carlo Ancelotti chose not to risk Kylian Mbappe and instead kept the Frenchman on the bench and started with a four-man midfield.

Fede Valverde and Dani Ceballos were placed centrally, and Aurelien Tchouameni was a little deeper, serving as the squad’s holding midfielder. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham also started the game centrally, but as the game went on, he was a floater, contributing in defense and attack, and showing his immense work rate.

Despite going down by a goal in the opening half, Los Blancos entered the 2nd half and perhaps played their best football against Barcelona this season.

Chance after chance was created, and it was due to Bellingham’s ability to win his duels and make a pass forward to Vinicius and Mbappe, who was brought on for Rodrygo as a half-time substitution.

The hard work ultimately paid off as Kylian Mbappe netted a direct free kick and Tchouameni headed the ball into the back of the net.

Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring against FC Barcelona. [Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images]

According to Sofascore statistics, the Englishman created 2 big chances and made 3 key passes in the 120 minutes he was on the pitch. He won a staggering 14/18 duels and completed 4/4 dribbles. The young lad from Birmingham was defensively aware and contributed on that front as well, making 4 tackles and a solitary interception.

Despite an all-round performance, it was not enough as Barcelona handed the Merengues their second defeat in finals this season in a heartbreaking fashion.

The dying moments of the game were marred in controversy with Antonio Rüdiger trying to throw objects at the referee, and as a result, he and Lucas Vazquez were shown red cards for showing aggressive dissent.

Jude Bellingham was also on the receiving end of the red card as he reportedly just walked up to the referee aggressively. The Englishman will serve his suspension in next season’s Copa Del Rey matches.

It was a hard-fought game, and Real Madrid went out with their heads held high, which hasn’t been the case in their last two encounters against the Blaugrana.

Five games to go, and there is a four-point difference between the arch-rivals, and Carlo Ancelotti and his men will surely put in their all to end the season with the La Liga trophy and give the fans something to cheer about.