Barcelona beat Real Madrid in El Clasico to retain Spanish Super Cup

Raphinha scores doubly arsenic Barcelona bushed Real Madrid for a 2nd twelvemonth moving successful the Spanish Super Cup with a 3-2 win.

Barcelona person retained the Spanish Super Cup with a thrilling 3-2 El Clasico win implicit Real Madrid successful Saudi Arabia.

Raphinha struck doubly for the Catalans connected Sunday, with Robert Lewandowski besides connected people arsenic they bushed Xabi Alonso’s squad for a record-extending 16th triumph, contempt Frenkie de Jong’s precocious reddish card.

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After Raphinha sent Barcelona ahead, Vinicius Junior pulled Madrid level with a good idiosyncratic extremity to kick-start a frenetic extremity to the archetypal fractional successful Jeddah.

Lewandowski chipped Barca backmost successful front, but Gonzalo Garcia struck heavy successful stoppage clip to nonstop the teams level astatine the break.

The conflict was decided by a deflected Raphinha effort aft 73 minutes, arsenic Barca claimed the 4th trophy of manager Hansi Flick’s reign.

His Madrid counterpart, Xabi Alonso, began with French superstar Kylian Mbappe connected the seat aft helium missed the semifinal triumph implicit Atletico with a genu sprain.

Hansi Flick, who led Barca to 4 Clasico wins implicit Madrid past play successful 4 clashes, opted for Lewandowski up beforehand implicit Ferran Torres and brought teenage prima Lamine Yamal backmost successful connected the close wing.

It was a scrappy commencement successful the Saudi Arabian evening heat, with Barcelona keeping the shot and Madrid sitting heavy to defy them portion looking to find Vinicius Junior connected the counter.

The Brazilian had not scored successful his erstwhile 16 matches, but offered a potent threat, flying down the near and forcing Joan Garcia into the archetypal save.

Raphinha besides sprinted backmost to descent successful connected his compatriot arsenic Vinicius tried to interruption through.

Barca began to crook up the vigor connected Madrid, and Raphinha recovered a breakthrough aft 36 minutes.

Moments aft the winger fired a good accidental severely wide, helium made up for it with a low, aboriginal onslaught from conscionable wrong the area, crossed Thibaut Courtois and into the bottommost corner.

Madrid pulled level with a superb Vinicius strike, floating successful from the left, nutmegging Jules Kounde and tucking past Garcia.

Barcelona went backmost up 4 minutes into first-half stoppage time, with Lewandowski dinking location aft being played successful by Pedri.

However, Madrid rapidly deed backmost conscionable earlier the interval done Gonzalo Garcia, who finished good portion falling aft Dean Huijsen’s header bounced backmost to him disconnected the crossbar.

Slowing down

The 2nd fractional was a calmer affair, with less chances arsenic the teams slowed down.

Garcia saved from Rodrygo Goes’s debased effort, portion Courtois bushed distant a Yamal strike.

Mbappe was warming up connected the sideline erstwhile Barcelona nosed ahead, with Raphinha’s changeable from extracurricular the container deflecting successful disconnected Raul Asencio to permission Courtois with nary chance.

The Brazilian is successful superb form, and it was his seventh extremity successful his past 5 matches crossed each competitions.

Alonso sent connected Mbappe for the past 15 minutes, trying to find a 3rd extremity and unit a punishment shootout.

The French guardant could not get show of the goal, but Barca midfielder De Jong was sent disconnected for a precocious lunge connected him.

Despite Madrid’s numerical advantage, Barca had the champion accidental successful stoppage time, with Marcus Rashford firing wide erstwhile done connected goal.

Asencio mightiness person grabbed an equaliser astatine the death, but headed consecutive astatine Garcia.

The past 4 winners of the Spanish Super Cup person gone connected to assertion La Liga, and Barcelona volition beryllium hoping it proves a level for occurrence erstwhile again.