SAUDI ARABIA: Raphinha struck twice, including a fortunate late winner, as Barcelona edged Real Madrid 3-2 to lift the Spanish Super Cup after a dramatic Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The Brazil winger decided the contest in the 73rd minute when his effort took a decisive deflection off Madrid defender Raúl Asencio after Raphinha slipped while shooting, wrong-footing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The goal capped a pulsating contest that swung repeatedly before Barcelona finally prevailed.
It was Barcelona’s 16th Spanish Super Cup title, extending their record as the competition’s most successful club. Real Madrid remain second on the list with 13 titles. For Raphinha, who had also scored twice in last year’s 5-2 Super Cup win over Madrid, the moment was emotional. “We gave all we had,” he said. “I was emotional at the end of the match, we needed a win like this.”
The final at Jeddah was notable for a chaotic end to the first half, which produced three goals in stoppage time. Barcelona opened the scoring in the 36th minute when Raphinha finished a swift breakaway. Madrid responded two minutes into added time through Vinicius Junior, who ended a 16-match goal drought with a superb solo effort, bursting between defenders before scoring from close range.
The momentum swung again almost immediately. Robert Lewandowski restored Barcelona’s lead two minutes later, only for Gonzalo Garcia to level the scores three minutes after that, ensuring the sides went into the interval locked at 2-2 after a breathless spell.
The second half was more controlled but no less tense. Madrid introduced Kylian Mbappe in the 76th minute after the France forward recovered from a knee issue that had kept him out of the semifinals. However, he was unable to tilt the contest in Madrid’s favour, despite two late chances in added time that went begging.
Barcelona finished the match with ten men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off in stoppage time, but they held on to secure the trophy. Defender Ronald Araujo, returning after an absence since November, lifted the cup.
Madrid coach Xabi Alonso played down the setback. “It’s just one game, one competition, and it’s the least important one we have,” he said. “We have to turn the page and move on.”
Meanwhile, Spanish federation president Rafael Louzan confirmed that next year’s final will be staged in either Qatar or Kuwait, with the tournament returning to Saudi Arabia from 2028 through at least 2030.