Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.
Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead, but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.
Madrid expected avenge its 4-0 defeat at home against Barcelona in the LaLiga classic in October, but was beaten and bruised in its archive in Djeddah.
After Mbappe’s first game, Lamine Yamal was leveled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona forward from the penalty point, with Raphinha taking out an orthopedic device and Alejandro Balde in the goal.
Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for the European champions.
“It’s actually nice, it was a season that we won a trophy. It is special and, in addition to that, in a classico opposed to Real Madrid, “said Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in Movistar.
“We had a lot of calm and patience, knowing that if we applied the plan we would win.
“I’m very proud and delighted with the team. . . Right after the red card, they gave us in combination and he said that we were going to have to suffer, down, but we had great merit and we can’t get away from us. “
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team’s poor defending was the main reason for the heavy defeat.
“We defended ourselves badly and that charged the game: they discovered their goals easily,” Ancelotti told Movistar.
“We are sad, like all our fans, this is disappointing, and we don’t have to hide it . . . We have to wait impatiently, there is nothing but we can do. “
Both coaches opted to maintain the same lineups they started with in the semifinals.
Yamal issued an early precaution for Madrid with a curly right of the right, forced Thibaut Courtois to a fine.
The Belgian statute also produced a wide avoidance of maintaining a Raphinha head at a distance after the Brazilian escaped from Lucas Vázquez easily.
Despite Barcelona’s opening salvo, it was Real Madrid who took the lead in the fifth minute with Mbappe’s brilliant goal on the counterattack.
The French striker, frustrated through the off -game flag in the defeat of the league through the Catalans, separated into the midline after Vinicius brought the ball back and, after breaking into the area, Beyond 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, with whom he is often compared.
Barcelona continued to press and complex through the penalty of Lewandowski after Eduardo Camavanga arrived at the defeated and damaged Gavi.
Raphinha temporarily added Barcelona’s third with a Kound’s Cross header from Deep, and they stayed for the fourth before halftime at halftime.
Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past Courtois.
Barcelona continued in the same line after the break and Raphinha marked the fifth with an orderly drip and after Marc Casado interpreted it.
The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe accelerated to the other extreme, the goalkeeper sprayed Szczesny, who left him out of domain and after the rejection of a VAR exam.
Rodrygo, who earlier hit the post, rifled home the free-kick past Szczesny’s replacement Inaki Pena.
Mbappe brilliantly teed up Jude Bellingham but the England international was denied by a superb Kounde challenge in stoppage time.
The French striker also arrived here close to scoring himself in a great individual exposure, but Pena changed his efforts.
“He is the most productive [Madrid player],” said Ancelotti, pointing to an improvement after Mbappe’s life in the club, after his movement in Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona brought in midfielder Dani Olmo for his first appearance as he signed up to play for the club on a transient basis, a moot challenge that overshadowed the semi-finals earlier in the week.
However, their five-star display offered a host of other talking points as Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup.