Sports
Barcelona Overcome Real Madrid Again to Retain Spanish Super Cup
Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in a pulsating Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah on Sunday, securing back-to-back titles and extending their dominance over their Clasico rivals under Hansi Flick.
Raphinha proved decisive, scoring twice, with his floated effort in the 73rd minute settling a contest that swung wildly before the break.
The Brazilian had opened the scoring on 36 minutes before a chaotic spell of stoppage-time drama saw Vinicius Jr equalise and Robert Lewandowski restore Barcelona’s lead, only for Gonzalo Garcia to level again amid protests from the Barca bench.
Lewandowski struck shortly after the interval, and despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card and chances at both ends, Barcelona held firm to claim a 16th Super Cup crown and their second consecutive title, a feat they last achieved in 2011.
The win stretched Barcelona’s winning run to 10 matches and preserved Flick’s perfect record in finals, while also giving the German coach his first silverware of the season.
Barca now sit four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
For Real, the defeat reignites scrutiny despite recent improvement, as questions linger over consistency and long-term direction following another Clasico final loss.
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