Barça reaffirms its idea while Real Madrid starts to doubt. Barça overwhelms and Madrid surrenders, feeling impotent. The Spanish Supercup final was eventful on the field and in the boardrooms in the lead-up. Flick's team - having won six out of six finals under the German manager - reached ecstasy in Mecca with a display of superiority for the ages, granting Barcelona its first title in the last 609 days.
Ancelotti warned in the preview that classics are unpredictable. When Barça and Real Madrid take the field, they always evoke the famous Schrödinger's cat paradox. And in Jeddah, the most populous city in the province of Mecca, when the box was opened, the cat was not only alive, but it was more eager for action than Bruce Springsteen. And in Barça, there is no other boss than Lamine Yamal, who is not old enough to drive a car but already navigates the Blaugrana ship with a superiority that is truly intimidating. He is 17 years old.
Lamine Yamal propelled the rout, which was completed by Lewandowski, Raphinha (2) and Balde
The one from Rocafonda kicked off a thrilling first half with a trademark shot from outside the box that Courtois, very agile, managed to deflect for a corner. No time to blink, Gavi delivered a cross wrapped in gift paper that Raphinha only had to open with his head but missed. Time will tell.
Comparisons with the 0-4 in the league began to appear in Al Jawhara because Flick's Barça seemed unstoppable. But a little stumble from the azulgrana side added spice to the classic. A loss at the front by Casado's Madrid against Vinícius, timidly claimed as a foul, was turned into a gift for Mbappé by the Brazilian. The Frenchman began to gallop with Balde, who, like a sold item at an auction, was the only opposition. Later, the full-back would get his revenge, but then it was Mbappé's turn, who slotted the ball past Szczesny to score his third goal in three white finals.
The scoreboard seemed like something out of a horror movie. Barça couldn't ask for more, they were nailing it, but it was Madrid who had scored first. Despite their youth on the field, with Flick leading from the sidelines, the Blaugrana gave a lesson in maturity. Far from being affected by the setback, they kept at it. Raphinha overcooked a good shot to confirm it. Those first twenty minutes had been a masterclass from Lamine Yamal, leaving behind anyone who dared to stand in front. An exhibition that would have its reward.
Not only was Barça on point, but Real Madrid seemed shaky despite the scoreline and was unable to close down any space in defense. Thus, Lewandowski connected with Yamal, who left Tchouaméni frozen and beat Courtois with a subtle touch, as if slicing the world's best ham with utmost care. The equalizer further unleashed a trance-like Barça. “Not even Íñigo Martínez's injury distracted him. He wanted it all.”
With little desire for trouble, Gil Manzano turned a blind eye to Camavinga's foul on Gavi. Not so the VAR, which called for his presence to signal a penalty. Lewandowski, without a skip and with determination, slotted the ball into the net. The third goal came immediately, a result of the White's defensive calamity and the cunning of Barcelona. A cross from Koundé from La Barceloneta found Raphinha's head, who this time didn't miss the chance. The crowd was enjoying themselves, more evenly matched in terms of colors than expected, with shouts of “Messi, Messi!” included. But the party wasn't over. In injury time, after Gil Manzano spared Camavinga a second yellow card, Balde, after an electric counterattack, blew everything up with the fourth goal.
Madrid had to quickly recover if they didn't want to go down in history for the wrong reasons, especially after Raphinha scored the fifth goal in a blink of an eye after the break. With everything to celebrate, it was Barcelona's turn to have a tough time, staying true to their storied history of suffering. Once again, VAR corrected the referee, with Szczesny being sent off in a play involving Mbappé. And in that same free kick, with Iñaki Peña back in goal, Rodrygo scored the second goal. There was still half an hour left that threatened to drag on for Flick's team. But they had worked and suffered too much to let the prize slip away. Olmo's entrance, aside from adding intrigue, brought calm to Barcelona with possession and allowed time to pass without Peña having much to do.
The whites did not take advantage of half an hour of numerical superiority against a calm and mature opponent
The pilgrimage had ended. The Blaugrana ecstasy in Mecca was intense. The king of the Supercup still wears the blue and maroon colors.
Technical specifications
2 - Real Madrid: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez (Asensio, min.52), Tchouameni (Modric, min.64), Rüdiger, Mendy (Fran García, min.76); Valverde, Camavinga (Ceballos, 46), Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinícius (Brahim, min.76), and Mbappé.
5 - Barcelona: Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez (Araújo, min.28), Balde; Casadó, Pedri; Lamine Yamal (Olmo, min.59), Gavi (Iñaki Peña, min.59), Raphinha (Ferrán Torres,min.79); and Lewandowski.
Goals: 1-0: Mbappé, 5th min. 1-1: Yamal, 22nd min. 1-2: Lewandowski (penalty), 36th min. 1-3: Raphinha, 39th min. 1-4: Balde, 55th min (added time). 1-5: Raphinha, 48th min. 2-5: Rodrygo, 60th min.
Referee: Gil Manzano (Extremaduran Committee). Showed a yellow card to Camavinga (min.35), Iñigo Martínez (min.53+), Rudiger (min.53), Vinícius (min.55), Tchouameni (min.62), Lewandowski (min.77), Asensio (min.77), Araújo (min.86), and Raphinha (min.89). Sent off Szczesny with a red card (min.56).
Incidents: Spanish Supercup final held at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah in front of around 60,000 spectators.
