Antonio Rudiger was red carded after a heated confrontation with the referee towards the end of the match as Real Madrid lost to Barcelona in the Copa del Ray finals.
The 2025 Copa del Rey final will be remembered for many years to come. Barcelona claimed the title with a 3-2 victory in extra time over Real Madrid in a match filled with notable moments. One of these was the red card issued to Antonio Rudiger following a strong reaction toward the referee near the end of the game.
Rudiger played throughout the match despite not being at 100% physically, making extra efforts to support his team in the absence of other defenders like David Alaba and Eder Militao. However, he was eventually replaced by Endrick with ten minutes left in extra time, completely exhausted.
After leaving the field, Antonio watched as Barcelona scored their third goal through Jules Kounde, while Real Madrid pushed hard in the final minutes to equalize and force a penalty shootout. In that tense moment, the referee, Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, called a foul on Kylian Mbappe for a challenge on Eric Garcia, which denied Los Blancos their final chance to attack.
This decision ignited fury among the Real Madrid players, especially those on the bench, including Vinicius. However, Rudiger was the most vocal in his protests, making exaggerated arm gestures and verbally reprimanding the referee, even appearing to throw an object onto the field. This behavior ultimately led to his red card.
The red card did little to calm Rudiger’s anger, as he had to be restrained by his own teammates to prevent him from approaching the referee to continue his protests. This incident is likely to lead to severe disciplinary action against him in the future.
The turmoil in the final minutes, as Real Madrid players protested against referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, did not end with Rudiger’s red card. The referee judged that Lucas Vazquez also displayed inappropriate behavior during this incident, resulting in a red card for him as well.
Like Rudiger, Vazquez had already left the field when he received his red card, allowing Real Madrid to finish the remaining minutes of the match against Barcelona with eleven players on the pitch.
