FC Barcelona Dominates Real Madrid to Claim Spanish Supercup Title
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Jeddah, Jan 13 (NationPress) FC Barcelona exhibited an extraordinary first-half performance, triumphing over Real Madrid with a score of 5-2 in the Spanish Supercup final on Sunday.
The team, managed by Hansi Flick, was ahead 4-1 at halftime. Despite experiencing the dismissal of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny for fouling Kylian Mbappe early in the second half, they managed to maintain control against the Madrid offense, according to reports from Xinhua.
Initially, it seemed as if Madrid had the upper hand when goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made two exceptional saves from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the early moments, before Mbappe put Madrid in front in the fifth minute.
A Barca offensive move faltered, with Vinicius assisting the French star, who executed a powerful drive from deep, fended off a defender, and scored with his right foot.
Barcelona persisted in creating opportunities, with Raphinha shooting across the goal before Yamal equalized in the 22nd minute.
Robert Lewandowski dropped back and drew Antonio Rudiger out of position, creating space for the young winger to receive his pass. Yamal then skillfully turned inside and wrong-footed Courtois with a precise angled shot.
Barcelona faced an injury setback when Inigo Martinez had to be substituted for Ronald Araujo, but they seized the lead in the 36th minute when Eduardo Camavinga's reckless challenge on Gavi resulted in a penalty, which Lewandowski successfully converted.
Just three minutes later, it became 3-1 as Real Madrid's defense allowed Jules Kounde space to send a cross for Raphinha to score with a header after the Brazilian sneaked in unmarked past Lucas Vazquez.
With nine minutes of injury time, Madrid made a significant error during a short corner, leading to Yamal stealing the ball. He passed it to the advancing Raphinha, who then set up Alejandro Balde to score with a low shot, ending a remarkable first half at 4-1.
Trailing by three goals, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti substituted midfielder Dani Ceballos for Camavinga.
Madrid nearly closed the gap in the 47th minute when Rodrygo struck the post with a volley.
However, it was clear that it was Barcelona's night just one minute later as Raphinha netted the fifth goal with a composed finish.
With a significant four-goal advantage, Barca lost some focus as Mbappe ran onto a through ball, only to be fouled by Szczesny outside the penalty area.
Following a VAR review, referee Gil Manzano had no choice but to send off the goalkeeper, leaving Barca with ten men for the remaining half-hour.
When Rodrygo scored from the resulting free kick to narrow the score to 5-2, some might have anticipated another dramatic comeback from Madrid. Nevertheless, Barcelona tightened their defense and effectively managed the game, ensuring victory with more ease than anticipated.
