Barcelona cruised to a dominant 5-2 victory over rivals Real Madrid in a thrilling Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, securing the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.
Kylian Mbappé gave Madrid an early lead, but Barcelona responded with five goals in a stunning display. Madrid’s hopes of avenging their 4-0 La Liga loss to Barcelona in October were dashed as they were outclassed by their archrivals in Jeddah.
After Mbappé’s opening goal, Barcelona quickly leveled the score through Lamine Yamal. Robert Lewandowski then gave them the lead with a penalty, followed by a brace from Raphinha and a goal from Alejandro Balde.
Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick, but they were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage following Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny’s second-half red card.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti attributed the heavy defeat to poor defending.
“We defended badly, and that cost us the game—they found their goals quite easily,” Ancelotti said. “We’re sad, like all our fans. It’s disappointing, and we don’t have to hide that. We have to look forward; there’s nothing else we can do.”
Yamal issued an early warning to Madrid with a curling shot from the right, forcing Thibaut Courtois into a fine save.
The Belgian goalkeeper also kept out a powerful header from Raphinha after the Brazilian had evaded Lucas Vázquez.
Barcelona Vs Real Madrid in Spanish Super Cup final.
Despite Barcelona’s early pressure, it was Real Madrid who struck first in the fifth minute with Mbappé’s brilliant counterattacking goal.
The French forward, frustrated by offside calls in the previous La Liga Clasico, raced past the halfway line after Vinicius won the ball, and, after charging into the box, calmly slotted past Szczesny.
However, Barcelona quickly responded with a stunning individual effort from 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who cut in from the right and finished with a low strike into the near post—echoing the style of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, with whom Yamal is frequently compared.
Barcelona’s clinical performance sealed a resounding victory, leaving Real Madrid to reflect on their defensive shortcomings in a humiliating defeat.
