Barcelona smash Real Madrid 5-2 to win Spanish Super Cup

JEDDAH – Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Jan 12 to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.

Kylian Mbappe put Real ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half at King Abdullah Sports City.

“It’s really nice. It had been a season since we won a trophy. It’s always special and, on top of that, in a Clasico against Real Madrid,” Barcelona defender Jules Kounde told Movistar.

“We had a lot of calm and patience... Right after the red card, we got together and said we were going to have to suffer, sit back, but we had a big advantage and this can’t escape us.”

Real were hoping to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in October’s La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their rivals in Jeddah.

After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target.

Rodrygo pulled one back for Real with a free kick, but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for the European champions.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team’s poor defending was the main reason for the heavy defeat.

“We defended badly and that cost us the game – they found their goals quite easily,” the Italian told Movistar.

“We’re sad, like all our fans. It’s disappointing and we don’t have to hide that... We have to look forward, there’s nothing else we can do.”

Despite Barcelona’s strong start, it was Real who took the lead in the fifth minute with Mbappe’s brilliant goal on the counter-attack.

The French forward, frustrated numerous times by the offside flag in the league defeat by the Catalan side, broke loose on the halfway line after Vinicius Jr recovered possession and, after bursting into the area, clipped the ball past Szczesny.

It took a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal to level the scoreline, with the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before stroking home a low finish inside the near post in a similar style to former Barca great Lionel Messi, to whom he is often compared.

Barcelona kept pushing and moved ahead through Lewandowski’s penalty after Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and carelessly clattered Gavi.

Raphinha soon added Barcelona’s third with a header from Kounde’s cross from deep and they grabbed their fourth just before half-time.

Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Barcelona continued in the same vein after the break and Raphinha netted the fifth with a neat dribble and finish after Marc Casado played him in.

The Catalan side were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe sped in at the other end, rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the area and, after a video assistant referee review, was dismissed.

Rodrygo, who had hit the post earlier, rifled home the free kick past Szczesny’s replacement Inaki Pena. AFP