Barcelona claimed back-to-back Spanish Super Cup titles after edging Real Madrid in a dramatic five-goal final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, extending their dominance over their fiercest rivals on the big stage.
Hansi Flick’s side secured a record-extending 16th Super Cup crown, having also defeated Los Blancos in last year’s final, with Brazilian winger Raphinha emerging as the decisive figure on a pulsating night.
Raphinha opened the scoring with a precise finish into the bottom corner midway through the first half, but the game exploded into life during a frantic spell late in the opening period. Real Madrid hit back through Vinicius Jr, who ended a long goal drought with a superb solo effort, nut megging Jules Kounde before sliding the ball into the far corner.
Barcelona responded almost immediately as Robert Lewandowski restored their advantage, only for Madrid to level again through Gonzalo Garcia after a chaotic goalmouth scramble, moments that sparked protests from the Barca bench over the timing of the half-time whistle.
The decisive moment arrived in the second half when Raphinha struck again, this time with a floated effort that caught Real Madrid out and proved to be the winning goal.
Tensions boiled over late on as Frenkie de Jong was shown a straight red card in stoppage time for a reckless challenge on substitute Kylian Mbappe, who had made his return from a knee injury.
Both sides had chances to force extra time in a nervy finale, with Marcus Rashford wasting a clear opening for Barcelona, while Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio were denied by goalkeeper Joan Garcia at the other end.
In the end, Barcelona held firm to secure consecutive Spanish Super Cup titles for the first time since 2011, once again asserting their authority over Real Madrid on the grand stage.
