After scoring, Theodore Bjorn still did not celebrate much.
He merely hugged each Real Madrid player who came over to celebrate with him.
For Theodore, scoring against Barcelona no longer brought any special sense of achievement, because he had done it too many times already this season.
On Barcelona's bench, Koeman watched Theodore break through his team's goal with a free kick and let out a heavy sigh before collapsing back into his chair.
That familiar helpless feeling appeared once again.
Koeman understood that his time at Barcelona had almost certainly reached its end.
After the restart, Barcelona's players still worked hard on the pitch.
Messi, Dembélé, and the others repeatedly tried to break through with the ball, but Madrid's defensive shape remained compact, and Barça could not create any truly dangerous shooting chances.
By the end of the first half, Real Madrid temporarily led Barcelona 2–0 thanks to Theodore's two goals.
Then came halftime.
Inside Barcelona's dressing room, Koeman did not make many tactical adjustments.
Instead, he gathered all the players together and spoke to them in a low voice.
"This season, we have already faced Real Madrid four times," Koeman said. "Every time, we have lost by at least three goals. Right now, the score in this match is 0–2, and if nothing changes after the second half begins, we will almost certainly concede again."
After Koeman said those words, the entire Barcelona dressing room fell silent.
Even Messi, as Barcelona captain, lowered his head at that moment.
Koeman continued, "Before this match began, I made a promise. As long as we fail to beat Madrid tonight, I will resign."
He paused briefly, then said in a heavier voice, "Unless something unexpected happens, after this match ends, I will no longer remain at Barcelona."
The room stayed quiet.
"But I have always believed that all of you have the ability to beat Madrid," Koeman said. "The reason we keep losing by big scores is because our mentality collapses too easily when Madrid put pressure on us."
He looked around at the players.
"We still have the final forty-five minutes. I'm not asking you to equalize or turn the match around. I only want to see one goal."
At this point, Koeman was almost pleading as he tried to motivate Barcelona's players.
...
Fifteen minutes later, halftime ended, and the second half officially began.
Unfortunately for Koeman, his wish did not come true.
Only ten minutes into the second half, Barcelona conceded again.
Rodrygo's breakthrough on the wing helped Madrid win a corner. Modrić walked over to take it, and his delivery dropped perfectly above Theodore's head inside the penalty area.
Facing such an excellent chance, Theodore overpowered Araújo in the air and completed the headed finish.
This time, Ter Stegen did manage to touch the ball, but Theodore's header carried terrifying power, and the ball still broke through the Barcelona goalkeeper's hands before flying into the net.
3–0.
Madrid had erased almost all suspense from the final.
"Theodore has his hat-trick!" Rob Palmer shouted. "A long-range strike, a free kick, and now a header from a corner. He is tormenting Barcelona in every possible way."
"That is the problem for Barça," Terry Gibson said. "If you give Theodore space outside the box, he shoots. If you foul him near the area, he punishes you from the free kick. If you defend deep and concede corners, he attacks the ball in the air. Barcelona simply have not found a way to deal with him."
After the restart, Barcelona's players gradually lost control of their emotions.
Once they realized they could not beat Madrid through normal football, their approach became more reckless and self-destructive.
Frenkie de Jong, Busquets, and several Barcelona defenders began using aggressive sliding tackles to disrupt Madrid's passing rhythm, and their challenges grew heavier with each passing minute.
In truth, many of Barcelona's tackles now seemed aimed less at winning the ball and more at hurting Madrid's players.
There was even a sense that if Barça had to lose this final, they wanted to drag Madrid down with them by making sure some of Madrid's main players could not appear in the Champions League final.
After Zidane saw the direction the match was taking, he immediately made large-scale substitutions.
Modrić, Benzema, and several other main players were all taken off.
But when Zidane wanted Theodore to come off as well, Theodore refused.
In Theodore's view, once he left the pitch, the gap in the middle of Madrid's defensive structure would be exposed.
Messi, Dembélé, and the others might then find space to shoot, and even if Barcelona were unlikely to overturn the match, Theodore did not want to leave any risk behind in a cup final.
So in order to help Madrid safely win the Copa del Rey, Theodore chose to stay on the pitch.
In the final stages of the match, Alba, Busquets, and several others took the initiative to engage Theodore physically, using little pushes, late contact, shirt pulls, and other dirty moves to interfere with him whenever they could.
However, those methods did not affect Theodore much.
He was simply too fast.
Whenever Barcelona's players tried to foul him, they were usually one step too slow, and by the time they stretched out a leg or reached for his shirt, Theodore had already slipped away.
In the 89th minute, with the match about to end, Theodore cut inside from the wing and completed another long-range shot.
The powerful strike broke through Barcelona's goal once again.
4–0!
The score was fixed there.
"Theodore scores his fourth!" Rob shouted. "Four goals in the Copa del Rey final, and Real Madrid are about to beat Barcelona for the fourth time this season."
"It is another ruthless finish," Terry said. "Barcelona are tired, frustrated, and stretched, while Theodore still has the energy and sharpness to cut inside and strike from distance. That sums up the difference between the two teams tonight."
"Beep!"
"Beep!"
"Beeep!"
After stoppage time ended, the referee blew the final whistle three times.
The Copa del Rey final was officially over.
Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4–0!
"Congratulations to Real Madrid," Rob Palmer announced. "They have won the Copa del Rey, and Theodore Bjorn has once again become Barcelona's nightmare."
"Four goals in a final is extraordinary," Terry Gibson said. "Madrid have beaten Barcelona again, and after winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, they have now added the Copa del Rey. Their season is getting closer and closer to something historic."
After the match ended, Madrid's players hugged one another and celebrated, while Barcelona's players quickly returned to the dressing room.
At that moment, the Mestalla felt like a place of humiliation for every Barcelona player, and they only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
Under the leadership of captain Ramos, Madrid's players lifted the Copa del Rey trophy.
This was Real Madrid's third trophy of the season!
Before this, they had already won the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga.
Now, the Copa del Rey also belonged to them.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
Four wins over Barcelona in one season. Copa del Rey secured. Theodore scored four in the final. This season is unreal.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Barça talked about dignity, and Theodore gave them another nightmare.
📱 @LaLigaCentral ✔
Real Madrid 4–0 Barcelona. Theodore Bjorn scores all four goals and wins the Copa del Rey Man of the Match award.
| ↳ 📱 @UCLMadridista
| Reply: Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey. Now only the Champions League remains.
📱 @BarcaUniversal ✔
Four defeats to Madrid in one season, another heavy scoreline, and Koeman's resignation promise hanging over everything. This is a disaster.
During the post-match interview, Theodore appeared in front of the reporters holding the Copa del Rey Man of the Match award.
Dozens of reporters rushed toward him at once.
"Theodore, talk about your feelings after today's match!"
"This is Madrid's third trophy of the season. Do you think Madrid can win the quadruple?"
"How does it feel to beat Barcelona four times in one season?"
Facing so many questions, Theodore naturally had no time to answer each one individually.
He simply said, "I believe beating Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey is the result every Madrid fan wanted to see. I'm very happy that we did it tonight."
Then he continued, "Next, Madrid will put all our focus on the final against Manchester City. The Champions League final will definitely be difficult, but I also believe Madrid can beat City."
After saying a few simple words, Theodore returned to the dressing room.
The moment he entered, the system notification appeared.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for winning the Copa del Rey!]
[Ding! The Host is rewarded with 20 free attribute points!]
Unlike before, the system's reward this time was free attribute points.
Theodore looked at the notification calmly.
For Madrid, the domestic mission had already been completed.
They had swept through Spain, beaten Barcelona four times, and collected another trophy, but Theodore knew very well that the most important match of the season was still waiting.
June 6.
The Champions League final.
Real Madrid against Manchester City!