Barça extends its reign through the fast track with a new Cup

BarcelonaBarça is now the best team in Spain after winning the Super Cup, the League, and the Cup. One more season. The Blaugranas thrashed Atlético de Madrid (3-1) to continue expanding their state hegemony with a new Copa de la Reina, the twelfth in their record. Pere Romeu's team played a very serious match from the first moment and settled the final in the first half after goals from Claudia Pina, Esmee Brugts, and Salma Paralluelo.

For the fifth time in history, Barça and Atlético de Madrid faced each other in a Cup final. The Mattress Makers won the first time, in 2016, while the other four times it was the Catalans who ended up lifting the title. Neither the low block set up by José Herrera nor the substitution of Irene Paredes due to muscular discomfort were an impediment to seeing the best version of Pere Romeu's team, which already led 3-0 at halftime. Claudia Pina opened the scoring with a great curl to beat Lola Gallardo.

With the tranquility of having taken the lead, Vicky López –who occupied the inside forward position to leave the right wing for Salma Paralluelo– put a millimeter-perfect cross to the far post, where Esmee Brugts sent the ball into the back of the net. Barça enjoyed themselves on the field to the delight of the Culé fans in the stands of a Gran Canaria stadium that saw a great turnout, 26,093 spectators, a record attendance for a Cup final.

The blaugranas continued with intact ambition and concentration and Salma Paralluelo scored the third after a convoluted play with many rebounds. Fiamma Benítez did not manage to clear the ball from inside the area and the Aragonese player took advantage of it to beat Lola Gallardo. Precisely, the Colchonera goalkeeper and the post prevented the goals of Ewa Pajor, Patri Guijarro and Ona Batlle. Pere Romeu asked for a VAR review for a possible penalty on Kika Nazareth, whom Fiamma Benítez pushed with both hands, but the referee did not consider the action punishable.

Atlético de Madrid did not give up at any point, as its motto conveys, and managed to close the gap after a poor clearance by Aïcha Camara that Boe Risa perfectly hooked from the edge of the box. Cata Coll could only follow the ball's trajectory with her eyes. With the title in their trophy cabinet, Pere Romeu brought on Marta Torrejón, who added her thirteenth Queen's Cup title personally, to end up wearing the captain's armband.

Nothing could prevent Barça's third consecutive Copa de la Reina title, their sixth in the last seven years. The last time the Azulgranas were not Copa champions was in 2023, when Atlético de Madrid beat Real Madrid on penalties. That season, the Catalans were eliminated for the improper lineup of Geyse in the round of 16. With the domestic treble already secured, Pere Romeu's team will seek to also be the best team in Europe next Saturday, May 23rd (6:00 PM) in Oslo in the Champions League final against Olympique de Lyon. If they achieve this, they will have completed a perfect season.