Raphinha shines as Barça get thrilling win over Madrid in Supercopa final

Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in an enthralling Clásico on Sunday to retain the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.

The Brazilian struck the winner in the 73rd minute as Barça celebrated a third successive final victory over Madrid under Hansi Flick, following on from last season’s Supercopa and Copa del Rey successes.

Heading into the final 20 minutes, the tie had been delicately poised following a crazy first half, which yielded three stoppage-time goals after Raphinha’s opener in the 36th minute.

First, Vinícius Júnior leveled, then Robert Lewandowski nudged Barça back ahead and there was still time for Gonzalo García to restore parity before halftime.

Madrid brought on Kylian Mbappé, back from a knee injury, in the second half, but it was Raphinha who proved the hero as Madrid’s Álvaro Carreras and Raúl Asencio spurned great late chances to take the game to a penalty shootout after Frenkie de Jong had been sent off. — Sam Marsden

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Barça win first trophy of the season, avenges October’s Clásico loss

Barça can now look back on the LaLiga defeat to Madrid in October as a blip. After winning all four Clásicos last year, there was the slight suggestion earlier this season that the tide could be turning after Xabi Alonso’s side earned a 2-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu.

For that reason, Barça’s players were desperate to reassert their dominance over their biggest rivals and they will feel they did that in Jeddah on Sunday.

For large parts of the game, they completely controlled proceedings, accumulating almost 70% of the possession by full time. They deserved their lead when Raphinha netted, with Madrid’s two equalizers feeling like sucker punches.

That’s not to say Madrid didn’t also create chances on the counter. Both teams ended with eight shots on target, but the xG paints a better picture of who created the best openings, with Barça’s 2.6 considerably more than Madrid’s 1.38.

That is now four trophies Barça have won under Flick. The German coach spoke this week about the Supercopa last season, providing the platform for them to go on and win LaLiga and the Copa del Rey. With a four-point lead at the top of the league, more silverware looks likely, although it’s the UEFA Champions League that this set of players are so desperate to get their hands on. — Marsden

Vini Jr steps up, ends 16-game goalless streak

With Mbappé only fit enough for a place on the substitute’s bench — eventually being introduced in the 76th minute — there was more pressure than ever on another of Madrid’s star names to deliver: Vinícius Júnior.

But Vinícius hadn’t scored in 16 games, an unprecedented dry spell. It’s not just that he hadn’t been scoring; his lack of impact has seen him whistled by the Bernabéu crowd. His performance in the semifinal in Jeddah was notable only for his touchline war of words with Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone.

But when Vinícius picked up the ball late in the first half, in the second minute of added time, none of that mattered. Wide on the left, one-on-one with Jules Koundé, this was suddenly Vinícius at his absolute, unplayable best: teasing Koundé with the ball, before smoothly nutmegging the right back, dancing into the box and finishing low past Joan García. His celebration, racing across to kick the corner flag, was an explosive release of emotion.

Vinícius badly needed this goal, and so did Real Madrid. As the second half began, he looked a different player to the one we’ve seen in recent weeks, freed of so much tension and baggage. Twice, he went close to scoring again, Koundé unable to cope. Only late in the second half, perhaps tiring, the Brazil international was less of a threat, and he was replaced by Arda Güler in the closing minutes.

Vinícius’ goal didn’t end up mattering. Madrid lost the game. But if there’s one positive they can take home from this final, and this tournament, it’s that one of the world’s best players — on his day — has re-found the form that made him a Ballon d’Or contender. Now we wait to see if it was just a mirage or something more concrete. — Alex Kirkland

Madrid’s safety-first set-up almost works

Madrid started this game with what looked like a deeply conservative, defensively-minded system. Often, when Barcelona had the ball and were pushing forward, Madrid were dropping into a deep block with a back five, as Federico Valverde dropped into right back, and Aurélien Tchouaméni joined Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio in the middle, with Carreras on the left.

Logically, Barça dominated. In the first half, they had 76% possession to Madrid’s 24%. There were legitimate reasons for Madrid’s approach: they were without key defenders like Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger, and with the team having struggled to really convince for months now, they could be forgiven for taking a risk-averse, cautious approach.

Madrid suffered some heavy defeats to Barça last season, including a 5-2 loss in the 2025 Supercopa final. They could not afford a similar scoreline tonight, especially given the precarious situation coach Alonso finds himself in, where a humiliation in this final might have cost him his job.

And in that sense, the night was a success: Madrid avoided that kind of defeat. There were five goals, but divided between the teams in a way that allowed them to emerge with some credit. They competed, they fought, and they lost by a single goal.

But it wasn’t the “rock n’roll” style we were promised from an Alonso team, and it wasn’t an approach that Madrid can expect to replicate frequently without facing criticism of a playing style unbefitting of a big team.

Tonight, it worked to a point. Madrid were in with a chance right up until the very end, when they spurned two great opportunities to equalize in added time. But it isn’t a template for the future. — Kirkland

Raphinha continues his scoring streak

Raphinha absolutely thrives against Madrid. With the benefit of hindsight, it is perhaps no coincidence that Barça lost their first Clásico under Flick in October when the former Leeds United forward was sidelined with an injury.

Madrid had no such luck here. Raphinha returned at the end of November and has been slowly regaining his top form since. He sent a warning to Madrid with two goals in the semifinal win against Athletic Club and should have opened the scoring in the first half in Jeddah, shooting wide after receiving a fine pass from Lamine Yamal.

Given his tireless running, it didn’t take long for his next chance to arrive, and he took it brilliantly to open the scoring in the latter stages of the first half. The winner was slightly more fortuitous, taking a deflection to deceive Thibaut Courtois, but if anyone had earned it, it was Raphinha.

His recent record against Madrid is phenomenal. That is now seven goals and three assists in his last six appearances against them. Three of those matches have been finals: two now in the Supercopa and one in the Copa del Rey.

Meanwhile, he has 11 goals in 19 games this season. If this latest trophy is to prove a springboard for more Barça success this season, you would imagine they will need to keep Raphinha fit. It’s not just goals and assists he contributes, but the energy and intensity he supplies in heaps in defense and attack. — Marsden

Barca’s defensive and clean sheet mirage ends

Barcelona’s run of five straight clean sheets in all competitions, their longest such streak since 2020, always felt a little deceptive and so it proved against Madrid.

Vinícius deserves credit for his brilliant equalizer, but that is unlikely to alter how the first-team analysts dissect the defending beforehand. Questions need to be asked about Kounde’s role in the goal, as the Brazilian player skipped past him. The Frenchman has been below par throughout this season, although he could also have benefited from some help from Pau Cubarsí this time. The young centre-back was a spectator as Vinícius came on to his right foot.

The defending for the second goal was arguably worse. Cubarsí again didn’t deal with a corner well, while Pedri, who had just supplied a fine assist for the Lewandowski goal, was also too loose on García. Barça complained about stoppage time overrunning, but they would have done well to take some advice from Roy Keane and, rather than worrying about that, do their jobs.

So, there is still work for Flick to do at the back. Whether the arrival of the attacking full back João Cancelo will help remains to be seen, but for the neutral, it means much more fun, such as in the recent run of Clásicos and last season’s Champions League semifinal loss to Internazionale, should always be just around the corner. — Marsden

What does it all mean for Xabi Alonso?

So, where does this leave Real Madrid’s coach?

Alonso has faced several match points now, and he’s saved them all. Before Christmas, when the pressure on him was near-unbearable following losses to Celta Vigo and Manchester City, Madrid won three games in a week to ensure Alonso stayed in the job over the Christmas break. On their return to action in 2026, Madrid beat Real Betis 5-1, before a narrow, 2-1 win over Atlético Madrid in Thursday’s Supercopa semifinal on Thursday. And now this: a 3-2 final defeat to a good team.

In a way, it all leaves Alonso back where he started. The doubts about him among senior figures at the club remain, because nothing that’s happened since has been significant enough to shift them. But there also hasn’t been anything bad enough to force a change. Madrid have been winning, without playing especially well — or here, they lost, while doing OK.

It means that barring something unexpected — always a possibility at Real Madrid — the most likely scenario is that Alonso stays in his job, and stays under pressure. For that to change, Madrid need to not just win games, but do so playing with a persuasive shape and style that feels like the team’s future, rather than a reaction to circumstances.

“We have to move on as soon as possible,” Alonso said afterwards. “It’s the least important of the competitions we play. We have to look forward.” — Kirkland