Ultimately, it was an excessive amount of for even Actual Madrid to overturn. Barcelona claimed the Supercopa de Espana closing with a 5-2 victory over their fearsome foes in a bonkers contest on Sunday evening.
Very like the final Clasico in October, Barcelona scored 4 targets in a single half. Hansi Flick’s rampant Catalans racked up that quartet earlier than the half-time whistle within the Saudi Arabia-based showpiece, however Actual Madrid did not go down with out a combat.
Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring earlier than Barcelona’s blitz and compelled the dismissal of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny on the hour-mark. Rodrygo decreased the deficit to 3 targets, however Barcelona held on to earn a trophy which can distract, nevertheless briefly, the controversy that has surrounded the membership of late.
How the sport unfolded
Barcelona had been warned. “Madrid are the most effective groups on this planet in transition,” Flick careworn forward of kick-off.
Kylian Mbappe wanted lower than 5 minutes to justify the fears of Barcelona’s supervisor, main a pitch-long counter-attack which started from a nook Actual Madrid had been initially defending. Vinicius Junior robbed Marc Casado on the sting of his personal crew’s field and set Mbappe away. The Frenchman did every thing however depart scorch marks within the turf as he hared ahead, twisting Alejandro Balde inside out earlier than stabbing past Szczesny.
Regardless of the early concession, Barcelona wouldn’t be deterred, taking management of possession and searching the ball after every turnover. Lamine Yamal, so usually the supply of the Catalans’ attacking inspiration, teased Flick’s aspect stage with an impossibly delicate end. Tiptoeing infield from the appropriate wing, Barcelona’s teenage sensation bamboozled Thibaut Courtois with a dainty reverse which trickled into the underside nook.
Performed to the backdrop of a relentless low hum from the largely Actual Madrid-leaning crowd in Saudi Arabia, there was a roar of disapproval when the referee pointed to the penalty spot within the thirty sixth minute. After a pitch-side overview, Jesus Gil Manzano agreed that Eduardo Camavinga’s dangling leg had been sufficient to fell Gavi. Robert Lewandowski made no mistake from 12 yards.
Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s benefit inside three minutes of the spot-kick. The Brazilian wandered into the yawning chasm which existed inside Madrid’s makeshift backline, thumping a strong header past Courtois to make it 3-1.
The primary-half epic stretched in the direction of an hour as 9 minutes of stoppage time had been tacked on. With the final kick of the unending half, Madrid had a brief nook intercepted by Yamal. The winger set his fellow goalscorer Raphinha away on a dizzying counter-attack which Alejandro Balde, bursting ahead from left-back, ended with a drilled end into the underside nook.
Carlo Ancelotti tried to stem the bleeding with the half-time introduction of Dani Ceballos, but the controlling Spaniard was helpless as Raphinha added a fifth for Barcelona inside three minutes of the restart.
Simply as Flick’s aspect gave the impression to be cruising in the direction of one other Clasico mauling, their very own flaws had been uncovered. Mbappe burst behind that infamously excessive backline and toed the ball away from Szczesny. Barcelona’s back-up goalkeeper hacked the Frenchman down and was dismissed after a VAR overview. Rodrygo picked out the highest nook from the ensuing free-kick, making certain that Inaki Pena’s first job as substitute goalkeeper was to retrieve the ball from his web.
The tempo of a contest which did not a lot ebb and circulate as crash violently from one finish of the pitch to the opposite belatedly started to gradual within the closing 20 minutes. Barcelona’s ten males reluctantly dropped deeper, irritating a Madrid aspect frazzled by a five-goal blitz on both aspect of half time.
Try the participant rankings from Actual Madrid 2-5 Barcelona right here.
The Line – Saudi Arabia’s grand conception of a single metropolis stretching throughout 170km – might have been constructed in its entirety within the area between Aurelien Tchouameni and Lucas Vazquez when Barcelona scored their third of the night.
For all of the glitz and glamour of Actual Madrid’s assault, Raphinha’s free header was a potent reminder that half of the crew’s rearguard on Sunday evening comprised of a defensive midfielder subsequent to an ageing winger.
Tchouameni appeared to be towing an invisible caravan when he tried to chase after Raphinha at the beginning of the second half, getting nowhere Barcelona’s vice-captain who promptly made it 5-1. On the subsequent break in play, Ancelotti hauled Vazquez off for Raul Asencio – a teenager making his first Clasico look, however at the very least he was conversant in the calls for of taking part in in a back-four.
Ancelotti has been the driving pressure behind Madrid’s push for defensive recruits in January, whereas the membership are intent to save lots of up for a summer time spree. The Italian’s urgency will not have been quelled by a disastrous defensive show.
Raphinha sat out final yr’s Supercopa closing in opposition to Actual Madrid, watching his teammates get thumped 4-1 whereas enduring the one among many niggling accidents that had been undermining his Barcelona profession. Quick ahead 12 months, and there was no likelihood of the Brazilian lacking Sunday’s showpiece.
In a recreation which included 4 gamers who completed within the high eight of the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Raphinha – a participant not even nominated for the celebrated particular person award – outshone everybody else on the pitch.
Blessed with a tank that by no means empties and a thoughts as sharp as his flip of tempo, Barcelona’s rejuvenated vice-captain is having fun with the marketing campaign of his profession. Two targets and an help in Sunday’s closing takes him as much as 30 aim involvements in 27 appearances this season.
Mbappe was framed because the laughing inventory of the season’s first Clasico. The goal-less ahead not solely failed to seek out the online, however was caught offside a record-equalling eight occasions. Solely as soon as did he pressure the assistant’s flag to be raised on Sunday.
The Frenchman, who opened the scoring with the kind of ruthless end which abandoned him for a lot of the primary half of the season, was initially deemed to be offside when he was felled by Szczesny after the break. But, upon overview, the semi-automated know-how vindicated Mbappe and led to an early bathe for Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Even in second half stoppage time, whereas Vinicius watched on from the bench and Ancelotti left his quantity 9 on for the total 90, Mbappe deftly pirouetted previous one blur of blue and purple earlier than slipping a wayward Bellingham into the field.
Whereas the general result’s the one detrimental that may by no means be ignored, Mbappe can take loads of positives from his personal show.
Barcelona could have been the crew hoisting the large Supercopa trophy into the Jeddah evening air, nevertheless it was Atletico Madrid who emerged as the true victors this weekend.
Sunday’s closing was so enthralling mainly as a result of each side are defensively flawed – Barcelona very a lot included. Madrid could have conceded 5 targets, however the Catalans gave up extra photographs – most of which got here once they had numerical parity.
Diego Simeone’s Atleti watched the mayhem unfold after edging previous Osasuna throughout home responsibility. That slim 1-0 win represented a 14th consecutive victory – a brand new membership file – and took Atletico to La Liga’s summit.
Simeone’s capital outfit solely have a one-point cushion above their metropolis rivals – Barcelona are six factors behind in third with all three groups having performed 19 video games – however Atletico boast one of the best defensive file of any membership in Europe’s high 5 leagues, not to mention simply Spain.
