Barcelona Thump Real Madrid To Claim Supercopa

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 were hoping to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in October’s LaLiga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their archrivals in Jeddah.

After Mbappe’s opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target.

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 really nice, it had been a season since we won a trophy. It’s always special and, on top of that, in a Clasico against Real Madrid,” Barcelona defender Jules Kounde told Movistar.

“We had a lot of calm and patience, knowing that if we applied the plan we would win.

“I’m very proud and happy with the team… right after the red card, we got together and said we were going to have to suffer, sit back, but we had a big advantage and this can’t escape us.”

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team’s poor defending was the main reason for the heavy defeat.

“We defended badly and that cost us the game – they found their goals quite easily,” Ancelotti told Movistar.

“We’re sad, like all our fans, it’s disappointing, and we don’t have to hide that… we have to look forwards, there’s nothing else we can do.”

- Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies