Photo: Collected
Barcelona delivered a commanding performance to secure a 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España final, extending their dominance in El Clásico encounters. Hansi Flick's side showcased their tactical adaptability, overpowering their rivals even after being reduced to ten men following Wojciech Szczesny's red card.
The match began with an early shock for Barcelona when Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 5th minute.
Exploiting a missed foul on Vinícius Jr., the French forward surged through Barcelona's defence to put his side ahead. However, an apparent injury to Mbappé in the 17th minute shifted the momentum, giving Barcelona an edge.
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's prodigious talent, equalised with a spectacular solo goal in the 22nd minute. The Catalans took the lead shortly after when Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty in the 35th minute, awarded after Eduardo Camavinga fouled Gavi.
Barcelona's relentless pressure saw Raphinha head in a third goal from a Jules Koundé cross just four minutes later. Alejandro Baldé added another in stoppage time, finishing a swift counter-attack orchestrated by Yamal, making it 4-1 by half-time.
Real Madrid showed brief signs of revival in the second half. Rodrygo hit the post with a fierce volley, but Barcelona struck again almost immediately.
Raphinha completed his brace with a composed finish in the 48th minute, extending the lead to 5-1.
The game's turning point came when Szczesny was sent off for tripping Mbappé as the striker closed in on goal. Rodrygo converted the resulting free-kick in the 60th minute to make it 5-2, raising hopes of a Madrid comeback. However, Barcelona shifted gears, focusing on a compact defensive approach to nullify Madrid's advances.
Hansi Flick's side demonstrated their tactical versatility and mental resilience, effectively managing the game with ten men to secure their second consecutive dominant victory over Real Madrid. The win tied the historic head-to-head record between the clubs at 105 victories apiece.
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