Barcelona triumphs over Real Madrid in Spanish Super Cup final
Barcelona secured their 16th Spanish Super Cup trophy, edging past Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling final held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening, reports BritPanorama.
Brazilian winger Raphinha proved pivotal, netting a brace, with his decisive second goal coming in the 73rd minute when a right-footed strike deflected off defender Raul Asencio, wrong-footing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
This victory signifies back-to-back Super Cup triumphs for coach Hansi Flick’s side, who previously defeated Los Blancos in last year’s final. Barcelona has now lifted this trophy three times in the past four seasons.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 36th minute, firing past Courtois after drawing Aurelien Tchouameni out of position. The first half ended dramatically with three goals in quick succession. Vinicius Jr initiated the late rush just before halftime, completing a stunning solo run to clinch his first goal since October 4, 2025, thereby ending a 17-match goal drought.
Barcelona responded through Robert Lewandowski shortly after the break, who capitalised on a through ball from Pedri, delicately placing his finish off the post and into the net. Real Madrid quickly equalised via Gonzalo Garcia, who bundled the ball home after a corner kick, with Dean Huijsen’s header having struck the crossbar beforehand. The second half continued to showcase end-to-end action.
Real Madrid posed multiple threats, with Vinicius Jr forcing a save from Barcelona’s goalkeeper Joan Garcia shortly after the hour mark. Despite several chances at both ends, it was the substitutes who ultimately influenced the match’s outcome. Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo set up Raphinha for the winner, whose hopeful shot deflected off Asencio to leave Courtois stranded.
Raphinha’s contribution to the game was significant, marking his fourth goal across the two Super Cup matches this week, following a brace in Barcelona’s 5-0 semi-final victory over Athletic Club.
The match’s closing stages turned chaotic as Barcelona faced a late challenge when Frenkie de Jong was sent off in the 90th minute for a two-footed challenge on Kylian Mbappe, who had just returned from injury. With ten men, Barcelona substituted Ronald Araujo for Lamine Yamal to strengthen their defence during five minutes of stoppage time.
Real Madrid sought an equaliser to push the match to penalties but wasted their best opportunity when left-back Alvaro Carreras, unmarked in the box, failed to convert, striking straight at Garcia. Marcus Rashford had a chance to finalise the outcome for Barcelona but missed the target, while Courtois’s attempt to assist with a final corner came to naught.
In the end, the match underscored the enduring rivalry between these two giants of Spanish football, a contest that continues to enthral and occasionally remind fans of the thin lines between triumph and despair in sport.
