Barcelona claimed their first trophy in over a year, defeating arch-rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The match, played at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw Barcelona put on a clinical display, scoring five goals before the final whistle.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the fifth minute, finishing off a solo run with a shot inside the far post.
However, Barcelona quickly turned the hits on Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid, with Robert Lewandowski equalizing from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Eduardo Camavinga fouled Gavi.
Raphinha then increased Barcelona’s advantage with a stunning header from a brilliant long cross by Jules Kounde in the 39th minute.
Alejandro Balde added a fourth goal for Barcelona deep into stoppage time, scoring with a simple finish after being set up by Raphinha.
The first half ended 4-1 in favor of Barcelona, with Real Madrid struggling to cope with their opponents’ relentless pressure and wave of attack.
The second half saw Real Madrid start brightly, with Rodrygo hitting the bar early on.
However, Raphinha quelled any hopes of a comeback, scoring his second goal of the match in the 48th minute after slaloming past the Real Madrid defense.
Barcelona were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for fouling Mbappe, and Rodrygo scored from the resulting free kick to make it 5-2.
Despite being down to 10 men, Barcelona held on to their lead, with substitute goalkeeper Inaki Pena making a crucial save from Mbappe in stoppage time.
The victory marked Barcelona’s first trophy under manager Hansi Flick, who took charge of the team last year.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, were denied their third title of the campaign, having already won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
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