Antonio Rudiger apologises for referee incident during heated Copa del Rey El Clasico final loss to Barcelona - 'No excuse for my behaviour'
Published 27/04/2025 at 12:45 GMT+1
Barcelona got the bragging rights and the trophy after a late extra-time goal from Jules Kounde saw them beat rivals Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey on Saturday night. But the focus was taken away from the football by an incident involving Antonio Rudiger and referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea. The Real Madrid defender has since apologised for his "mistake".
Highlights: Jackson fires Chelsea to crucial win in UCL race
Video credit: TNT Sports
Antonio Rudiger issued a public apology on social media after he was sent off in a heated end to Real Madrid's Copa del Rey final defeat against Barcelona.
The centre-back had been substituted during extra time with the score level at 2-2, but Jules Kounde's 116th-minute goal gave Barcelona a dramatic Clasico victory.
Kylian Mbappe was fouled shortly before the final whistle and the challenge sparked anger from the Real Madrid bench. Rudiger was particularly incensed, with the referee claiming in his post-match report that the Frenchman was shown a red card for "throwing an object from the technical area, which missed me".
The object in question appeared to be a bag of ice, and the consequence could be a significant ban for Rudiger.
"There's definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night," Rudiger wrote in an Instagram story. "I'm very sorry for that.
"We played a very good game from the second half on.
"After 111 minutes I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night."
Lucas Vazquez and Jude Bellingham were also sent off, the latter for reportedly confronting the officials with an "aggressive attitude" and "having to be restrained by his team-mates".
Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea had come under criticism from Real Madrid before the game after a press conference in which they claim he demonstrated "hostility and animosity" towards the club.
As a result, Real Madrid boycotted their pre-match press conference and photo-call in protest at the referee's comments.
That only added to the tension in a hard-fought, abrasive final between the two bitter rivals.
- Eze and Sarr fire Crystal Palace to FA Cup final
- Ipswich relegated after Newcastle defeat, Wolves beat Leicester, Brighton down West Ham
Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to be drawn on the officiating after the match, saying "I don’t want to talk about the referee".
On the defeat, he added: "We had the game under control, but they tried to get a ball behind us and that’s when things got complicated. We have to keep fighting because we gave everything we had.
"We competed very well. We were closer than our opponent.
"It hurts that we weren’t able to lift the cup, but we did the job we had to do."
Watch the Premier League and Champions League live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?