Barcelona edge Real Madrid to claim Spanish Super Cup in thriller | OneFootball

Barcelona triumphed 3 to 2 with goals from Raphael Dias Belloli, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphael Dias Belloli. The goals for Real Madrid were scored by Vinicius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior and Gonzalo García Torres.

Cyclothymic. Changing. A classic in a final. It's not something unique to Argentina that these are separate matches. Much less that they are decided by details. And in them, this Sunday, there was one name that stood out above the rest: Raphinha. Yes, because the Brazilian was the standout figure of a Barcelona that claimed a new Spanish Super Cup (the 16th) against their lifelong rival, Real Madrid. In Saudi Arabia, the winger scored two goals, the Culé won 3 to 2, and shouted champion.

Both teams already knew what such a showdown was like. It was the fourth consecutive Super Cup final they faced each other in (with this one, Barça took three, and Real one). But all had a different flavor. In this one, after Raphinha scored the 1-0 with a left-footed cross shot, something incredible happened: there were three goals in stoppage time of the first half! First, Vinicius (the star of Madrid), dressing as Cristiano Ronaldo and giving life to Madrid in a tough moment; then, Lewandowski chipped it with class and made it 2-1; but before the end of the first half, Gonzalo García, by a fluke, equalized again.

Although Real went into halftime with a tie, they hadn't earned it. Xabi Alonso's tactics showed a certain intention to defend, much more than they tried to attack (with reproaches from the stands for some changes). With Mbappé on the sidelines (he came in for a bit), everything fell on some brilliance from Vinicius or a lapse from Barça's defense, which didn't happen. Mastantuono also got some minutes but had little impact.

Nonetheless, until shortly before the end, things were going well for Madrid's coach. Then Raphinha appeared again: he took it from outside the area, and with some luck (he slipped and the ball hit Asencio), he made it 3 to 2 final. The entire Barcelona bench erupted. It was the cherry on top for the Brazilian, who is already a more than key piece for Hansi Flick. Still, the Whites reacted and almost equalized: they ended with one more due to De Jong's red card and had two clear chances (one from Carreras under the goal and a header from Asencio). But Barça was superior. And that's why they could celebrate.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.