Hansi Flick sets Barcelona target after dramatic Copa del Rey triumph over Real Madrid in El Clasico - 'The treble is an option'
Published 27/04/2025 at 09:33 GMT+1
Barcelona celebrated a memorable Copa del Rey triumph in Seville on Saturday night, but Hansi Flick suggested there could be more to come. The Blaugrana remain in pole position to win La Liga and face Inter in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona boss Flick said he was "proud" of his players, but insisted his team must "recover, recover and recover" with more trophies to win.
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Hansi Flick said a "treble" could be on the cards for Barcelona after they beat Real Madrid 3-2 in a memorable Copa del Rey final.
The Catalan side led after Pedri's opener, before a quick-fire double from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni late in the second half turned the game on its head.
But Ferran Torres equalised in the 84th minute to take the final to extra time, and Jules Kounde netted a 116th-minute winner to spark jubilant celebrations and leave Real Madrid distraught.
Los Blancos saw Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez and Jude Bellingham sent off in the dying seconds as Barcelona secured a 32nd Copa del Rey title.
"I’m happy for my team and for the great work the players have done. It was absolutely incredible the way they fought, how they managed to come back... I’m very proud of my team," manager Flick said.
"Winning a title in a match like El Clasico against Real Madrid is always special. I’m happy for my players and for the 26,000 Barcelona fans who were in the stands; they deserved this title.
"Now we must celebrate this title and then the objective must be to recover, recover and recover. The treble is an option but we have to keep working."
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He added: "When I saw the celebration of the people, the players and the staff, I was very emotional. The players deserved it.
"It was a great victory. In the second half, Madrid did well, but we equalised and Kounde was able to score the winning goal. It’s exciting and unbelievable."
Flick has guided Barcelona to the top of La Liga, four points clear of Real Madrid with five games to play, and into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they will face Internazionale in next week's first leg - live on TNT Sports and discovery+
"At the beginning of the season I said that I was here, with my assistants, to create a good atmosphere in the dressing room, that they could enjoy the game and that they could play at the highest level," Flick said.
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"I think creating that atmosphere in the dressing room is important and key. It gives a lot of confidence. This is a matter for everybody. The staff, the players… They have a fantastic mentality.
"If you see how they came back from the game, the ability to think positively to turn it around…. And Jules did that. It was simply a perfect night."
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti cut a frustrated figure as a difficult season continued.
"We had the game under control, but they tried to get the ball behind us and that’s when things got complicated," he said. "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."
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