'No excuse' - Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger speaks out after throwing projectile at referee in furious Copa del Rey final rampage that led to red card in Barcelona defeat

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea was always going to be the point of focus during Real Madrid's Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, following the off-field drama that took place on Friday. However, the Clasico did not see a lot of moments where the referee was in the spotlight. Towards the end, though, Bengoetxea awarded Barcelona a free kick just as Kylian Mbappe looked through on goal, much to the dismay of Los Blancos' dugout. Rudiger then burst into a fit of rage as he launched a projectile towards the referee and then had to be held back by multiple staff members as he was shown a red card.

Rudiger was one of three Real Madrid players to be sent off during Barcelona's 3-2 extra-time win, with Jude Bellingham and Lucas Vazquez also being shown red for the 'aggressive behaviour' towards Bengoetxea and his team. Rudiger is the only one in actual trouble as he attempted to physically assault the official, and the German has voiced an apology on his social media.

On the social media platform X, Rudiger wrote: "There's definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I'm very sorry for that. We played a very good game from the second half on. After 111 minutes, I was not able to help my team anymore, and before the final whistle, I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night."

As per Spanish publication Cadena SER, Rudiger faces a ban of between four and 12 games, meaning he could well be suspended for the remainder of the season. Additionally, the German's outburst could be separately reviewed, meaning a longer ban could be on the cards.