Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid: Hansi Flick’s side claim fourth trophy in a year and a half
After losing October’s clásico Barcelona will be thrilled that they have claimed the one that mattered. A brace from Raphinha on either side of Robert Lewandowski’s goal negated the efforts of Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia to seal the Spanish Super Cup for Hansi Flick’s side.
It is the Catalan club’s first trophy of the season as they aim to produce similar results to last campaign when they won a domestic treble, also beating Real Madrid in Jeddah to claim the 2025 Super Cup.
Madrid will be moaning their luck after Raphinha’s shot deflected off Raul Asencio and wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois with only 17 minutes of normal time to go. Kylian Mbappe, who started on the bench due to fitness issues, was introduced moments later but it didn’t help turn the tide.
An oddly listless game was on show at the beginning. Here was a match that boasted a collection of some of the most talented footballers on earth, but for 30-odd minutes it was a non-event, each side shifting, trying to outpolitick the other, Barcelona keeping most of the ball but struggling to make anything of it. Vinicius was Madrid’s most potent outlet but his best effort was comfortably saved by Joan Garcia. Barcelona’s breakaway with a delicious pass floated in by Lamine Yamal ended with Raphinha scuffing a shot comically wide.
Things livened up when the Brazilian opened the scoring moments afterwards. Barcelona had broken away again, Raphinha driving down the left channel. He had to do better that time and he did. Facing Aurelien Tchouameni he shimmied and toe-poked the ball away from the Frenchman, before finding the bottom right corner with precision.
Barcelona had their lift off, and they duly raised the game. Passes became sharper, more incisive. It looked like things were heading quietly to a narrow, if deserved, lead for Flick’s side at the break, when the game exploded in stoppage time. Vinicius finally ended a scoring drought of 19 games in spectacular fashion. Having gone on a shuttle run down the left he then cut into the box, moving through Barcelona bodies like a knife through cheese and then sweeping home underneath Garcia to level for Madrid.
But then Lewandowski put Barcelona ahead again. Pedri was the creator, threading a pass through Madrid’s backline to the striker, who then lifted the ball beyond the onrushing Courtois. Yet by the 50th minute it was still first half. Vinicius’ corner kick was met by a header from Dean Huijsen. It cannoned off the bar and dropped to Garcia, who was upended as he tried to reach it, but still managed to prod it onto the underside of the cross bar, then off the post and into the net to ensure both teams went into the break on an even footing.
The second half saw chances from both sides. The excellent Vinicius was denied twice by Garcia. Yamal’s effort was parried by Courtois. But it was Raphinha’s that went in, helped on by Asencio’s foot. As the minutes ticked down Barcelona only needed to endure. Frenkie de Jong was overzealous late on and stamped his studs on Mbappe to reduce the Catalans to ten men. They were enough.
