Barcelona hand Real Madrid latest El Clasico hammering to claim Supercopa

In the Spanish Super Cup final held in Saudi Arabia, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2, securing the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era. Despite Mbappe opening the scoring for Real Madrid, Barcelona then scored five consecutive goals, with Real Madrid also going down to ten men in the second half after goalkeeper Szczesny was sent off. Real Madrid had hoped to avenge their humiliating 0-4 home defeat to Barcelona in the El Clasico in October, but ultimately they were routed by their arch-rivals in Jeddah.

After Mbappe's opener, Yamal equalized, Lewandowski converted a penalty to take the lead, Raphinha scored twice, and Balde also got on the scoresheet. Rodrygo pulled a goal back for Real Madrid, but they failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage, ultimately suffering a humiliating defeat for the European champions. "It feels amazing, we haven't won a trophy for a season. It's always special, and it's against Real Madrid in El Clasico," Barcelona defender Kounde said in an interview with Movistar. "We were very calm and patient, knowing that if we followed the plan, we could win."

"I'm very proud and happy for the team... after the red card, we got together and said that we had to hold on, fall back, but we had a big advantage and couldn't let the victory slip away." Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated that the team's poor defense was the main reason for the heavy defeat. "Our defense was very bad, which led to the loss of the game – they scored goals very easily," Ancelotti said in an interview with Movistar. "We are sad like all the fans, it's disappointing, we shouldn't hide it... we have to look forward, there's no other way."

Both coaches chose the same starting lineups as in the semi-finals. Yamal's curling shot from the right forced Courtois into a brilliant save, sending an early warning to Real Madrid. The Belgian goalkeeper also made a great save to deny Raphinha's header. Despite Barcelona's aggressive start, Real Madrid took the lead in the fifth minute through Mbappe's counter-attack goal. The French striker, who was often caught offside in the league game against the Catalans, broke through in midfield after Vinicius won back the ball, surged into the penalty area, and chipped the ball over Szczesny.

Barcelona equalized with a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal, the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before firing a low shot into the near post, in a style reminiscent of former Barcelona superstar Messi, to whom he is often compared. Barcelona continued to press and took the lead through Lewandowski's penalty after Camavinga fouled Gavi in the box. Raphinha soon added another goal for Barcelona with a header from Kounde's cross, and before halftime, Barcelona scored a fourth goal on the counter-attack. Yamal and Raphinha combined, with the latter passing the ball to Balde, who fired it past Courtois. In the second half, Barcelona continued their momentum, with Raphinha dribbling and shooting to score his fifth goal after a pass from Casado.

The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe made a quick run at the other end, rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the box, resulting in a red card after a VAR review. Rodrygo, who had previously hit the post, then scored a free-kick past Szczesny's replacement, Pena. Mbappe cleverly set up Bellingham, but the England international was denied by a great defensive effort from Kounde in stoppage time. The French striker also came close to scoring again in a brilliant individual performance, but Pena saved his shot. "He is (Real Madrid's) best player," said Ancelotti, noting Mbappe's improved performance at the club since his move from Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona's temporary signing of midfielder Olmo, making his first appearance for the club since his registration, overshadowed the semi-final earlier in the week. However, Barca's five-star performance provided many other topics for discussion as they won a record 15th Spanish Super Cup title.