SEVILLE, Spain, April 27 (Reuters) - Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger has apologized for his behavior in the 3-2 extra-time loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday when he was shown a straight red after he erupted in fury and threw an object at the referee.
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee for Saturday's Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, was brought to tears on Friday, responding to a critical video published by Real's in-house TV channel (RMTV).
The video, released on Thursday, shows what RMTV says is a series of errors made by De Burgos throughout his career.
The release is the latest in a string of edits by RMTV, criticizing Spanish officials.
Copa del Rey referee crying
Real Madrid overturned a two-goal deficit against Real Sociedad to reach the Copa del Rey final after an extra-time header by substitute Antonio Rüdiger secured a barnstorming 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win.
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad highlights
The visitors gave Real Madrid a scare as they grabbed the lead through Ander Barrenetxea in the 16th minute but a lovely dinked effort by Endrick levelled the score 15 minutes later.
BARCELONA — Atletico Madrid clawed back from two goals down to rescue a 4-4 draw at Barcelona in a rip-roaring battle in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday.
Atletico stunned the home side early on, taking a two-goal lead with Julian Alvarez opening the scoring inside the first minute and Antoine Griezmann extending their advantage five minutes later.
Barcelona vs Atletico highlights
JULIAN ALVAREZ GIVES ATLETICO MADRID THE LEAD IN THE FIRST MINUTE VS. BARCELONA!!
A Copa del Rey red card in the preliminary round of the competition has gone somewhat viral after a player punted the ball into an opponent’s face.
During Wednesday’s game between Astur and Promesas EDF, chaos erupted near the sideline that would see two red cards. Two players were battling for the ball as it went out of play and an Astur player shoved an opponent into the wall close to the sideline.
Athletic Club’s 40-year wait for a title was ended with Saturday’s Copa del Rey triumph on Saturday against Mallorca. The team and people of Bilbao celebrated in awesome fashion on Thursday with a parade on the water.
The club has a tradition unlike any other as the players board “La Gabarra” a barge used to carry the players and trophy. The barge has been waiting 40 years for a parade through town.
It’s estimated that nearly a million people flocked to Bilbao to witness the spectacle on the Nervión. Scenes like this are what make this sport so special.
United States men’s national team midfielder Luca de la Torre scored his first goal of the 2023-24 season in style on Wednesday with a disgusting backheel goal.
De la Torre opened the scoring of Celta Vigo’s 3-1 Copa del Rey victory vs. Valencia in the 13th minute off a corner kick.
Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Doménech failed to punch the ball out of his box and some quick pinball action inside the 18-yard-box resulted in the ball heading straight for the 25-year-old American.
De la Torre only had a second to react and he turned the chance into an amazing goal.
Vibes in the Real Madrid camp are through the roof, and after booking their ticket to yet another final in the Carlo Ancelotti era, the Italian chief of Valdebebas gave the world champions a day off following their goalscoring retaliation in Catalonia.
The players' reaction? Reminiscent of a “school has been canceled due to weather” voicemail.
Vini Jr. and Karim Benzema stole the show at Camp Nou Wednesday as the attacking duo were dominant during Real Madrid’s 4-0 victory vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals. Madrid won on aggregate 4-1.
Benzema scored a hat trick while Vini Jr. scored one, drew a penalty and had what could be assist of the year.
Let’s skip straight to the good part and look at that fancy assist from the Brazilian. With Los Blancos leading 3-1 on aggregate in the 80th minute, Vini Jr. and Benzema put the nail in the Camp Nou coffin with a splendid move.
Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 1-0 on Thursday at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first of two legs of their Copa del Rey semifinal. The victory came as a surprise to some as Barça were without star players Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Ousmane Dembélé.
Last Sunday, Almería defeated Barcelona 1-0 in LaLiga for a shock result. Following back-to-back losses (the other to Manchester United) and with a less than ideal starting XI, Real Madrid seemed destined to win the first leg at home. That wasn’t the case, and it should’ve been a 2-0 win for Barcelona.