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Barcelona Clinches First Trophy in Over a Year with Dominant Performance in Spanish Super Cup
Barcelona secured the Spanish Super Cup title after defeating arch-rival Real Madrid 5-2 in the final at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Hansi Flick won his first trophy with Barcelona, and the team’s clinical display helped them win their first trophy in over a year. The match in Spanish Super Cup began with Barcelona having possession of the ball and attempting to tick away the seconds. France forward Kylian Mbappé put Real in front in the fifth minute, while Raphinha grabbed another in the second half. Barcelona put in a clinical display to lift their first trophy in more than a year, having had no silverware to show for last season.
Real Madrid’s Early Mistakes and Barcelona’s Clinical Finish Define the Match
Hansi Flick said that “a goal for big clubs is always to win titles; that’s why we work hard. But now we have to show it in the next games.” Madrid prevented Barcelona from winning their third title of the campaign after they won the European Super Cup against Atalanta and beat Mexico’s Pachuca to the Intercontinental Cup last month. In the first half, Madrid made many mistakes, but they knew how to take advantage of them to control the match. Barcelona prevented Madrid from winning their third title of the campaign after they won the European Super Cup against Atalanta and beat Mexico’s Pachuca to the Intercontinental Cup last month.
The game started with Barcelona starting the second half with Rodrygo hitting the bar, sparking hopes of the hectic clash taking another turn. However, Raphinha quelled any sniff of a comeback when he made it 5-1 three minutes after the break. Barça were left with 10 men when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for fouling Mbappé in the 56th minute. Rodrygo beat substitute keeper Iñaki Peña from the resulting free kick. However, Madrid, who hold a five-point advantage over Barça in LaLiga after 19 games, had no shots on goal after the penalty until Mbappé’s effort was denied by Peña in stoppage time.
Barcelona’s Road to the Final: A Strong 2-0 Semifinal Win Against Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona also lost defender Iñigo Martínez before the half-hour mark through injury, with Ronald Araújo stepping in. Madrid and Barcelona met in the competition’s final for the third consecutive time, with Ancelotti’s side prevailing last year and Barça lifting the trophy in 2023. Barcelona secured their spot in the final by winning 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao in the semifinals, followed by Real Madrid beating Mallorca 3-0. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe put them 1-0 up in the first five minutes, but Barca responded with a 17-minute goal by Yamal, who dribbled past two defenders and scored a goal.
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A Rollercoaster of Goals: Barcelona Holds Off Real Madrid’s Late Push for a 5-2 Win
Real took control of the game, with Lewandowski netting a penalty and goals from Raphinha and Alejandro Balde. However, Real’s second goal made it 5-1, ending the game. Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was red-carded for a foul on Mbappe, prompting Flick to take Yamal off for Dani Olmo. Rodrygo scored Real’s second goal, giving Real hope again. However, no more goals were scored, and Barca held on for a 5-2 win to win their first trophy of the season. Flick’s Barca are set to face Real Betis in their next game on January 15, and Real Madrid will face Celta Vigo in their round of 16 tie the following day.
