Barcelona delivered another humiliating defeat to Real Madrid, winning the Spanish Super Cup final 5-2 on Sunday. The victory followed a dominant 4-0 win over Madrid in their league encounter last October.
Madrid took an early lead when Kylian Mbappé scored in his second clasico, but Barcelona quickly responded, running away with goals from Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha (who scored twice), and Alejandro Balde.
Rodrygo pulled one back for Madrid in the 60th minute after Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for a foul outside the penalty area.
It was a third consecutive win for Barcelona in 2025, after finishing 2024 with two losses. “The Christmas break helped us reflect on what we had done wrong,” Lewandowski said. “Now we can look forward to the run of games that we have until the end of the season.”
Madrid, on the other hand, suffered their first loss after five straight victories. “It was a bad night,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “It’s a disappointment, we won’t hide it, but it’s soccer … you have to try to learn from the losses. We have to look forward to what’s ahead.”
Mbappé’s early strike stunned Barcelona, as he took possession just inside Madrid’s half, sprinted toward the defense, and finished with a clever shot. However, Barcelona responded in the 22nd minute when Yamal leveled the score with a superb run. Lewandowski then put Barcelona ahead in the 36th.
Raphinha added two goals in quick succession, one in the 39th and another in the 48th, while Balde scored in first-half stoppage time.
Rodrygo’s free-kick in the 60th minute gave Madrid a glimmer of hope, but it was too little too late. Szczesny’s red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity effectively ended Madrid’s chances.
Lewandowski has now scored 26 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions, while Raphinha has 19 goals and Yamal has eight.
Barcelona also benefited from the provisional registration of Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo, after the Spanish government intervened to allow the club to add him to their squad.
The final took place after tensions flared during Thursday’s semifinal, when Mallorca fans reported harassment by local men supporting Madrid, with two wives of Mallorca players claiming they were groped.
The Spanish Super Cup has become a lucrative event for both the Spanish Football Federation and the participating clubs since the 2019 deal to host it in Saudi Arabia.