On the livestream comments, fans immediately began celebrating Theodore's brilliant goal.
📱 @TheodoreEra ✔
Theodore scored again. At this point, scoring feels as easy as breathing for him.
| ↳ 📱 @Madrid_Insider
| Reply: What was Barcelona's defense doing? Leaving Theodore free in the middle is basically asking to concede.
📱 @FootballLive ✔
Two midfielders both went to cover Rodrygo, and Theodore was left completely open. If Barça keep defending like this, he could score several tonight.
| ↳ 📱 @WhiteShirtFaithful
| Reply: Koeman might really be gone after this match.
After scoring, Theodore did not celebrate much.
He had already grown used to scoring, especially against Barcelona.
After the restart, Barcelona had possession again, and the ball quickly came to Messi's feet.
Just as Barcelona's number ten prepared to show his skill, Real Madrid's number ten immediately appeared in front of him.
Theodore against Messi.
The duel that fans inside the stadium wanted to see most had arrived again.
In the Barcelona section of the stands, supporters kept shouting Messi's name, hoping their captain could break through Theodore's defense and lift the team's spirit.
"Leo! Get past him!"
"Messi, show that brat your dribbling!"
"Don't be scared! You have to break through him and prove who the real king is!"
For Barcelona supporters, this was the moment they wanted to see most, but Messi did not choose to take Theodore on directly.
This season, Messi had already faced Theodore three times, so he understood very clearly how terrifying Theodore's defensive ability was.
With his current form, the possibility of breaking through Theodore one-on-one was extremely low, and once Theodore stole the ball, Madrid could immediately turn that mistake into a direct threat against Barcelona's goal.
Because of that, Messi did not force the dribble. Instead, he used his left foot to pass the ball toward the left.
Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba had already pushed high into the front line.
After receiving the ball, Alba glanced at Messi's position and quickly realized that Theodore was still following Messi closely.
Since there was no good passing route back into Barcelona's number ten, Alba could only move the ball into the middle for Pedri.
There was only one Madrid player near Pedri at first, but the moment Pedri stopped the ball, that player arrived with force.
Casemiro went straight into the physical challenge.
It was a smart defensive choice, because Pedri was still only eighteen years old and his body had not fully developed yet.
After Casemiro bumped into him, Pedri immediately lost control of the ball.
Madrid's midfield warrior quickly won possession and passed it to Theodore.
In this match, Zidane had once again sent out a 4-3-3 formation, but in midfield, he chose Modrić, Theodore, and Casemiro, leaving Toni Kroos on the bench.
Zidane's purpose was clear.
He wanted to fully unleash Theodore's attacking talent in this final. With Casemiro taking more responsibility on the defensive side, Theodore would have more freedom to participate in Madrid's attacks.
After Madrid regained possession, the ball reached Theodore's feet within only a few seconds.
At the same time, several Barcelona players rushed toward him.
Frenkie de Jong and Busquets arrived on his left and right, trying to trap him between them.
Theodore was not affected at all.
With one sudden burst of acceleration, he tore himself free from Barcelona's double team.
Frenkie and Busquets immediately realized the danger.
After three previous matches against him, every Barcelona player knew exactly how terrifying Theodore's speed was.
Once he reached Barcelona's half with space in front of him, he had the ability to turn that run into a goal by himself.
Because of that, Busquets and Frenkie both reached out without hesitation, trying to grab Theodore's shirt.
Unfortunately for them, they were still one second too slow.
In the blink of an eye, Theodore had already pulled two body lengths ahead of them.
Then he accelerated again.
A few seconds later, Theodore had charged into Barcelona's central area all by himself.
On the touchline, Koeman immediately sensed the danger and shouted toward his defenders.
"Foul him! Foul him right now!"
"Don't let him shoot!"
Under Koeman's urgent instruction, Barcelona's young center-back AraĂşjo stepped out decisively and knocked Theodore down from the front before he could enter the penalty area.
The referee's whistle sounded immediately.
"Beep!"
The match was stopped, and the referee calmly ran over to AraĂşjo before taking a yellow card from his pocket.
AraĂşjo had been booked!
"AraĂşjo takes the yellow card," Rob Palmer said. "And from Barcelona's point of view, that foul may be necessary because Theodore was about to run straight at goal."
"The problem is the location," Terry Gibson replied. "Stopping Theodore before he enters the box is one thing, but giving him a free kick around twenty-five meters from goal is still extremely dangerous. His set-piece technique has been outstanding all season."
The foul was roughly twenty-five meters from goal, which was absolutely within Theodore's direct free-kick range!
Madrid fans had already begun celebrating in advance.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
Free kick for Theodore. This feels like a penalty with extra steps!
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: AraĂşjo stopped the run, but now Ter Stegen has to deal with the free kick. Not sure that's much better.
📱 @TheodoreEra ✔
Thank you, AraĂşjo. Now we get to watch a Theodore free kick.
| ↳ 📱 @FootballLive
| Reply: The man has scored so many free kicks this season that everyone expects it now.
In the Mestalla stands, Madrid fans could no longer suppress their excitement.
Many of them stood from their seats, waiting for Theodore to take the shot.
When the referee blew his whistle again, Theodore began his run-up.
Two seconds later, he struck the ball with his right foot.
Bang!
The ball flashed forward at high speed.
Barcelona's wall jumped with all their strength, but it had no effect on Theodore's shot.
The ball flew cleanly over the wall and dipped toward goal before Ter Stegen could get across.
Barcelona's goalkeeper dived, but all he reached was empty air.
The ball went into the net.
2–0!
Theodore had completed his brace!
"Theodore scores again!" Rob Palmer shouted. "A direct free kick, and Real Madrid are two-nil up in the Copa del Rey final."
"That is why the foul was so dangerous," Terry Gibson said. "AraĂşjo stops the immediate run, but Theodore's free-kick quality means Barcelona are still punished. Ter Stegen moves, the wall jumps, but the strike has too much pace and precision."
"Two goals for Theodore already," Rob continued. "Barcelona came here talking about dignity and revenge, but Real Madrid have built a strong early advantage."
Inside the Mestalla, more than thirty thousand Madrid fans shouted Theodore's name in unison.
At the same time, many supporters began singing Real Madrid's anthem.
Hala Madrid!
Barcelona's players looked shaken.
Koeman stood on the touchline with a dark expression, his hands on his hips, clearly struggling to accept what had just happened.
Before the match, he had declared that Barcelona had to defeat Madrid, and he had even placed his own position on the line.
Yet the match had barely begun, and Theodore had already scored twice.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
Two-nil already. Theodore brace. Barça are collapsing again.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Koeman said this was about dignity, and Theodore took that personally.
📱 @BarcaUniversal ✔
We gave Theodore space for the first goal, then fouled him in free-kick range for the second. This is self-destruction.
| ↳ 📱 @CulerHeart
| Reply: Same nightmare, different Clásico.
📱 @LaLigaCentral ✔
Real Madrid 2–0 Barcelona. Theodore has scored from open play and from a direct free kick inside the opening stages.
| ↳ 📱 @UCLMadridista
| Reply: The Barça killer title is not even an exaggeration anymore.
After the second goal, Barcelona tried to restart the match calmly, but their passing had clearly become more nervous.
Busquets kept asking the defenders to slow down, while Pedri and Frenkie de Jong tried to move into better positions between Madrid's midfield lines.
Messi also dropped deep more often, hoping to help Barcelona regain control and prevent the game from slipping away too early.
But Real Madrid were not giving them room to breathe.
Casemiro stayed close to the central zone, Modrić pressed intelligently, and Theodore kept appearing in the areas where Barcelona least wanted to see him.
Whenever Messi moved inside, Theodore adjusted his position.
Whenever Pedri tried to receive between the lines, Casemiro stepped forward. Whenever Alba or Dest pushed higher, Madrid immediately looked for space behind them.
The first fifteen minutes had already shown the difference between the two teams.
Barcelona were still trying to find rhythm but Madrid had already taken control.