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Jose Mourinho would've loved all this.

El Clasico is back, baby: Antonio Rudiger’s headloss for the ages confirmed it

Nestor Watach •

It’s almost two in the morning in the most lavish suite in Istanbul’s Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel.

Jose Mourinho’s face is lit up by the light of his television screen.

The hint of a smile forms across his lips.

“This…

“…is football ‘eritage.”

El Clasico is back, baby. And it only took a complete headloss from Real Madrid’s current maniac in chief to bring us back to the glory days of Pepe and Sergio Ramos losing the plot.

The Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona had everything.

In 1992, Johan Cruyff coined the term ‘entorno’, from the existing Spanish term literally translated as environment or surroundings, to describe the pressure of everything that came with being Barcelona manager.

All the noise, less so the football. The bullsh*t, basically.

It’s a concept that’s synonymous with Spanish football three decades on. And just like the four Clasicos in swift succession when Madrid and Barca’s rivalry was at its white-hot apex back in 2011, this game had heaps of it before it kicked off.

Not least the referee literally breaking down in tears in his pre-match press conference.

“We’re focusing a lot on the videos on Real Madrid Television, it’s what has the biggest repercussions, I’m not going to tell you otherwise,” referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea told reporters.

“I’m going to tell you about situations that have happened to colleagues of mine and then you give me your evaluation because I want you to answer me.

“When one of your children goes to school and there are kids who tell him that his dad is a thief and he comes back home crying, that’s really f*cked up.

“What I do in my case is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is honourable. Above all honourable, that he makes mistakes, like any sportsperson. And that’s really f*cked up. I don’t wish it on anyone. But the day I leave here, I want my son to be proud of what his dad was and what refereeing is.”

Rather than take a moment to consider the consequences of the regular hit pieces on referees their in-house media channel was producing, Madrid doubled down. They demanded a change of match officials. Rumours swirled on Friday that they were going to boycott the game.

Madrid were forced to put out a statement denying the rumours. The Spanish football federation held firm, and at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville, De Burgos Bengoetxea blew his whistle to kick things off. Game on.

Barcelona came into the match as heavy favourites, having twice thrashed their old rivals this season. Madrid had threatened to make a mockery of their daring high-wire act, but more often Hansi Flick’s high defensive line was played to perfection.

Kylian Mbappe was caught offside eight times – more than Erling Haaland in the entirety of the last Premier League season – in Barcelona’s 4-0 thrashing at the Bernabeu back in October. Barca were arguably even better in January’s Super Cup, beating them 5-2.

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Barcelona Real Madrid El Clasico Copa Del Rey Finals

READ: Every time Barcelona and Real Madrid have faced off in the Copa del Rey final

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For the first half Barcelona played like the favourites. Dominating the game, taking a deserved lead through a superb Pedri howitzer, and restricting Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior on the counter.

But this is Real Madrid in a major final. Talk about their dysfunction, their recent defeats, the uncertainty over Carlo Ancelotti’s future. You don’t write Madrid off in finals, even if it flies in the face of logic.

Mbappe, carrying a knock, changed the game at half time. He suddenly gave Los Blancos a threat, looking in the same mood when he suddenly burst into life in the closing stages of the last World Cup final.

Madrid’s latest Galactico drew them level in the 70th minute, having won a free-kick on the edge of the area after driving straight at their defence. He stepped up to convert with the first direct free-kick goal of his career, killing off Twitter’s most popular hater in the process.

Seven minutes later they were ahead through Aurelien Tchouameni on the end of a corner. Madrid’s remontada had looked on the cards all half.

But there was to be another twist in a superb, enthralling final. This is Barcelona’s best team since long before Lionel Messi’s departure and they had the quality to keep their treble dream alive.

Lamine Yamal’s pass for Ferran Torres’ late equaliser was one Messi himself would’ve been proud of. Inspired.

And in the dying seconds there was still time for De Burgos Bengoetxea to make a decision that threatened all that tedious entorno to overshadow the wonderful football. He pointed to the penalty spot after Raphinha appeared to have been clipped by Raul Asencio.

But after a long delay, and a look at the monitor, he reversed his decision and booked Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or-chasing Brazilian for diving. But Asencio hadn’t made contact with the ball, while replays were inconclusive when it came to showing sufficient contact. It wouldn’t have met the ‘referee’s call’ reversal threshold in the Premier League.

Still, who could say no to another half hour of this?

Unfortunately extra time, as it so often does these days, saw the pace slowed down. It could have possibly kept up, in fairness.

Antonio Rudiger, heavily strapped, struggling and caught out for Torres’ equaliser, couldn’t give any more and made way for striker Endrick.

Evidently Carlo Ancelotti was going for a late winner, but it went the other way. A rare risky, errant pass from Luka Modric was intercepted by marathon man Jules Kounde, who lashed home for a fittingly brilliant match-winner long past midnight in Seville.

Madrid had about five minutes to force penalties, and one last attack in the final minute of injury time saw Mbappe once again looking in World Cup final hero mode, striking fear into the retreating Barcelona backline.

But just as Mbappe threatened to pull off something spectacular, the referee blew his whistle. The Frenchman’s stray arm had lightly brushed the face of Eric Garcia, who made sure to make De Burgos Bengoetxea know about it.

Madrid’s bench fumed at the decision, and all hell broke loose. A missile was sent in the referee’s direction. Rudiger was shown red, and refused to step away with wide, wild eyes reminiscent of Didier Drogba’s ‘f*cking disgrace’ rant all those years ago.

We genuinely could all do without Real Madrid TV’s histrionics and the frankly grim spectacle that surrounded the referee. But we can’t deny the ridiculous drama at the end belonged in the category of scenes we absolutely do want to see.

Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez were also dismissed in the ensuing melee. Rudiger, if found guilty of throwing something at De Burgos Bengoetxea, could well face a long ban.

Madrid and Barcelona face one another once again in just two weeks, a game that could well decide who tops La Liga.

We’ll have some of that.

READ NEXT: ‘I won 10-0’: When Michael Laudrup ruled El Clasico for Barca and Real

TRY A QUIZ: The ultimate El Clasico quiz: 30 tough questions on Real Madrid & Barcelona’s red-hot rivalry

Antonio Rudiger Barcelona