Pedri put Barcelona 45 minutes away from the Copa del Rey title with a stunning goal that gave them a 1-0 lead in the final against Real Madrid.
The Spain midfielder further enhanced his reputation as one of the finest players in world football by putting Barca ahead in the 28th minute.
It was a goal that started when Pau Cubarsi made a superb interception to stop a Madrid counter.
Pedri collected the loose ball and subsequently a perfect long pass to the right wing for Lamine Yamal, who found a gap between three covering Madrid defenders to lay the ball off for the onrushing Pedri, who beat Thibaut Courtois with a wondrous strike into the top-left corner.
Madrid, who had petitioned for referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea and VAR official Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes to be removed for the game, taking issue with the latter’s criticism of their TV channel’s referee-focused content, looked to have found a route back into the game when Bengoetxea pointed to the spot after Vinicius went down in the area.
However, Madrid were not awarded a penalty as the flag was correctly raised for offside.
Barcelona are seeking to win the treble, while the Copa represents Madrid’s last realistic hope of silverware this season.
