Barcelona crushed Real Madrid 5-2 in a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, securing the first trophy of coach Hansi Flick’s tenure.
Kylian Mbappé gave Madrid the lead early on, but a dominant Barcelona responded with five goals, even after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny was sent off in the second half.
The electrifying match saw Madrid hoping to avenge their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico, but instead, they were left bruised and battered by their arch-rivals in Jeddah.
After Mbappé’s opener, Barcelona quickly leveled through Lamine Yamal and took the lead with Robert Lewandowski’s penalty. Raphinha added a brace, and Alejandro Balde also got on the scoresheet. Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick, but despite a numerical advantage, Madrid couldn’t mount a comeback, suffering a humiliating defeat.
Both managers, Flick and Carlo Ancelotti, opted for the same line-ups as in their respective semi-final matches. Yamal sent an early warning with a curling shot that forced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, who later kept a Raphinha header out.
But despite Barcelona’s early dominance, it was Madrid who struck first in the fifth minute, with Mbappé finishing off a brilliant counter-attack. The French forward raced through after Vinícius won the ball back and, with a composed finish, slotted past Szczęsny.
Barcelona quickly responded with a stunning solo effort from 17-year-old Yamal, who cut inside from the right and slotted the ball home in a style reminiscent of former Barça legend Lionel Messi. Inigo Martínez was forced off due to injury, and Ronald Araujo replaced him, amidst speculation that the Uruguayan might leave the club.
Barcelona then surged ahead. Lewandowski converted a penalty after Eduardo Camavinga fouled Gavi, and Raphinha soon made it 3-1 with a header from a deep cross by Jules Koundé. The Catalans’ fourth came just before halftime, when Yamal and Raphinha combined to set up Balde, who calmly finished past Courtois.
Barcelona’s dominance continued after the break, with Raphinha scoring his second of the match with a well-taken finish after a fine pass from Marc Casado.
The match took another turn when Barcelona were reduced to 10 men after Szczęsny was sent off for bringing down Mbappé outside the box as the Frenchman charged towards goal. Rodrygo converted the resulting free-kick past substitute goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.
Mbappé nearly added a second goal for Madrid, providing a brilliant assist to Jude Bellingham, but the England international was denied by a superb challenge from Koundé. Mbappé also came close to scoring with a fine individual effort, but Peña made a crucial save.
Barcelona brought on Dani Olmo for his first appearance since being temporarily registered with the club—a move that had sparked controversy earlier in the week. Despite the off-field drama, Barcelona’s stellar performance in the final secured them a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup title.
AFP
