The deadlock has been broken inside the opening 15 seconds of the Copa del Rey final, and it is Atletico Madrid that have fallen behind at La Cartuja, with Real Sociedad scoring a record-breaking goal to hit the front.
When these two teams met in La Liga last month, a match won 3-2 by Atleti at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, it was Diego Simeone’s side that scored early when Alexander Sorloth struck inside five minutes. This has been bettered, and then some, by La Real, whose opening goal in this Copa del Rey final has come before the 20-second mark.
Barrenetxea heads La Real into dream start
Mikel Oyarzabal’s cross was met by the head of Ander Barrenetxea, whose effort was agonisingly out of the reach of Atleti goalkeeper Juan Musso, which sent one half of La Cartuja into raptures.
🚨 ANDER BARRENETXEA SCORES AFTER JUST 15 SECONDS — REAL SOCIEDAD STRIKE IMMEDIATELY!
🇪🇸 ATLETICO MADRID 0–1 REAL SOCIEDAD pic.twitter.com/ohobA1Rfoa
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) April 18, 2026
REAL SOCIEDAD SCORE 14 SECONDS INTO THE COPA DEL REY FINAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FTzalJCoBo
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 18, 2026
Barrenetxea desata el 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒐 𝒕𝒙𝒖𝒓𝒊-𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏 en La Cartuja.
🌪️ 15 segundos de final y la @RealSociedad ya manda en el marcador. #LaCopaMola #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/di6wpQK7Dp
— Movistar Plus+ Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) April 18, 2026
Barrenetxea’s goal is record-breaking, and it is the fastest ever in a Copa del Rey final, beating Raul Tamudo of Espanyol’s effort against Real Zaragoza is the 2006 edition. More importantly, it means that La Real are in the ascendency early on in Seville.
