On January 12, Barcelona won the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era by crushing rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia.
Match Highlights and Key Moments
After Kylian Mbappe gave Madrid the lead, a dominant Barcelona team responded with five goals before Wojciech Szczesny, their goalkeeper, was sent off in the second half.
In the October La Liga Clasico, Madrid was hoping to exact revenge for losing to Barcelona 4-0 at home, but their bitter rivals in Jeddah left them bruised and beaten.
Goals and Scorers
Following Kylian Mbappe first goal, Robert Lewandowski gave Barcelona the lead from the penalty spot, Raphinha scored twice, and Alejandro Balde also scored. Lamine Yamal then tied the score.
With a free kick, Rodrygo Goes gave Real Madrid a response, but the European champions were unable to build on their numerical advantage and suffered a crushing defeat.
Player and Coach Reactions
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde told Movistar, It’s really nice, it had been a season since we won a trophy, and it’s always special and on top of that in a Clasico against Real Madrid.
Knowing that we would succeed if we followed the plan, we were very patient and calm.
We got together immediately after the red card and said we were going to have to suffer, and sit back, but we had a big advantage and this can’t escape us. I’m very proud and happy with the team.
Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, claimed that the team’s weak defence was the primary cause of the crushing loss.
They found their goals quite easily, and we lost the game because of our poor defence, Ancelotti told Movistar.
We don’t have to hide the fact that we’re sad, like all of our fans, and it’s disappointing. We have to look forward because there is nothing else we can do.
First Half Recap
In the semi-finals, both coaches decided to stick with their starting lineups.
With a curling attempt from the right that compelled Thibaut Courtois to make a fine save, Yamal gave Madrid an early warning.
Raphinha easily eluded Lucas Vazquez, but the Belgian goalkeeper made a strong stop to block the Brazilian’s header.
Mbappe’s outstanding goal on the counterattack gave Real Madrid the lead in the fifth minute, despite Barcelona’s opening attack.
After Vinicius won the ball back and rushed into the area, the French forward, who had been repeatedly frustrated by the offside flag during the league loss to the Catalans, broke loose on the halfway line. He then clipped past Szczesny.
Yamal, 17, equalised the score with a spectacular individual goal. The Spanish winger cut in from the right before stroking home a low finish inside the near post in a manner reminiscent of former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, to whom he is frequently compared.
Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and clattered Gavi carelessly, but Barcelona persisted and took the lead through a penalty kick from Lewandowski.
Before halftime, Barcelona scored their fourth goal on the break after Raphinha quickly added their third with a header from Kounde’s deep cross.
After Yamal and Raphinha joined forces, Balde slipped in and slipped past Courtois.
Second Half Recap
After the interval, Barcelona carried on in the same manner, and Raphinha scored the fifth goal with a deft dribble and finish after Marc Casado had played him in.
A VAR review was rejected, Mbappe raced in at the other end and rounded custodian Szczesny, bringing him down outside the area and reducing the Catalans to 10 men.
After hitting the post earlier, Rodrygo hammered the free-kick past Inaki Pena, Szczesny’s substitute.
Jude Bellingham was brilliantly set up by Mbappe, but a fantastic Kounde challenge in stoppage time denied the England international.
Mbappe Performance and Ancelotti Comments
During a brilliant individual effort, the French forward also nearly scored again, but Pena deflected his shot.
After Mbappe’s rocky start to life at the club after joining from Paris Saint-Germain, Ancelotti remarked, “He was the best Madrid player,” pointing to an improvement.
Controversy and Final Takeaways
Due to a contentious matter that clouded the semi-finals earlier in the week, Barcelona brought on midfielder Dani Olmo for his first game after he was registered to play for the team on a temporary basis.
However, as Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup, their five-star performance provided many additional talking points.
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