Barcelona won the first championship under coach Hansi Flick on Sunday after crushing rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
Madrid took the lead through Kylian Mbappe, but Barcelona responded with five goals before Wojciech Szczesny, their goalkeeper, was sent out in the second half.
In the October La Liga Clasico, Madrid was hoping to get revenge for losing to Barcelona 4-0, but their bitter rivals in Jeddah left them wounded and broken instead.
Lamine Yamal tied the score after Mbappe’s first goal, and Robert Lewandowski gave Barcelona the lead from the penalty spot. Raphinha also scored twice, and Alejandro Balde also scored.
With a free kick, Rodrygo Goes gave Madrid a response, but the European champions were unable to build on their numerical advantage and suffered a crushing defeat.
Both Flick and Carlo Ancelotti, his opposite number, decided to stick with the lineups they had in the semifinals.
With a curling attempt from the right that compelled Thibaut Courtois to make a great save, Yamal gave Madrid an early warning.
Raphinha easily eluded Lucas Vazquez, but the Belgian goalkeeper made a great effort to block the Brazilian’s header.
Despite Barcelona’s opening attack, Mbappe’s outstanding goal on the counterattack gave Real Madrid the lead in the fifth minute.
Fans cheer while watching the Spanish Super Cup final football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on January 12, 2025. Credit: Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP
Vinicius got the ball back and, after charging into the area, clipped past Szczesny, causing the French attacker, frustrated multiple times by the offside flag in the league loss to the Catalans, to break loose near the halfway line.
It took a spectacular individual goal from Yamal, 17, to tie the score. The Spanish winger, sometimes compared to former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, cut in from the right before brushing home a low finish inside the near post.
After Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and sloppy-clattered Gavi, Barcelona continued to press and took the lead through a penalty kick from Lewandowski.
Soon after, Raphinha headed in Jules Kounde’s deep cross to give Barcelona their third goal, and they scored their fourth just before halftime.
Raphinha and Yamal joined forces, and Balde slid in after them, slipping past Courtois.
Raphinha scored the fifth goal with a deft dribble and finish after Marc Casado had passed him in, and Barcelona carried on in the same manner after the interval.
When Mbappe sprinted in at the opposite end and around goalkeeper Szczesny, who hauled him outside the area, the Catalans were down to ten men. A VAR review was then rejected.
Rodrygo, who had already struck the post, hammered the free kick past Inaki Pena, Szczesny’s substitute.
Mbappe set up Jude Bellingham superbly, but a great Kounde challenge in stoppage time denied the England international.
Pena turned away the French forward’s attempt after he had a great individual performance and nearly scored again.
Dani Olmo, a midfielder, was called on by Barcelona for the first time because he was registered to play for the team temporarily. This contentious situation overshadowed the semi-finals earlier in the week.
But when Barca triumphed in their record-tying 15th Spanish Super Cup, their five-star performance provided a wealth of other discussion points.
