BSS
  13 Jan 2025, 10:24

Five-star Barca smash Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Barcelona hammered rivals
Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on
Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response
before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.

Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in October's
La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-
rivals in Jeddah.

After Mbappe's opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent
Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and
Alejandro Balde also on target.

Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not
capitalise further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for
the European champions.

"I think today is a good day because we beat one of the best teams in the
world, for the second time this season, Real Madrid, and this is
unbelievable," Flick told reporters.

"We won a title here and we are really happy... today is a day to look
positively at this team."

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team's poor defending was the main
reason for the heavy defeat.

"We defended badly and that cost us the game -- they found their goals quite
easily," Ancelotti told Movistar.

"We're sad, like all our fans, it's disappointing and we don't have to hide
that... we have to look forwards, there's nothing else we can do."

Despite a strong Barcelona opening salvo it was Real Madrid who took the lead
in the fifth minute with Mbappe's brilliant goal on the counter-attack.

The French forward, frustrated numerous times by the offside flag in the
league defeat by the Catalans, broke loose on the halfway line after Vinicius
won the ball back and, after bursting into the area, clipped past Szczesny.

It took a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal to level the
scoreline, with the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before stroking
home a low finish inside the near post in a similar style to former Barca
great Lionel Messi, to whom he is often compared.

- 'Always special' -

Barcelona kept pushing and moved ahead through Lewandowski's penalty after
Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and carelessly clattered Gavi.

Raphinha soon added Barcelona's third with a header from Kounde's cross from
deep and they grabbed their fourth before half-time on the break.

Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past
Courtois.

Barcelona continued in the same vein after the break and Raphinha netted the
fifth with a neat dribble and finish after Marc Casado played him in.

The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe sped in at the other end,
rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the area and after
a VAR review was dismissed.

Rodrygo, who earlier hit the post, rifled home the free-kick past Szczesny's
replacement Inaki Pena.

Mbappe brilliantly teed up Jude Bellingham but the England international was
denied by a superb Jules Kounde challenge in stoppage time.

The French forward also came close to scoring again himself on a fine
individual display but Pena tipped away his effort.

"He was the best (Madrid player)," said Ancelotti, noting an improvement
after Mbappe's hit-and-miss start to life at the club following his switch
from Paris Saint-Germain.

"We can't always win, if we have to lose a cup, it's better that it's this
one," said veteran Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.

Barcelona brought on playmaker Dani Olmo for his first appearance since he
was registered to play for the club on a temporary basis, a controversial
issue which overshadowed the semi-finals earlier in the week.

However their five-star display offered a host of other talking points as
Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup.

"It's really nice, it had been a season since we won a trophy, it's always
special and on top of that in a Clasico against Real Madrid," Barcelona
defender Kounde told Movistar.