Barcelona Beat Real Madrid 3-2 To Win Spanish Super Cup
In a thrilling encounter at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, FC Barcelona overcame Real Madrid 3-2 to claim the 2026 Spanish Super Cup.
The match was a quintessential El Clásico, defined by a chaotic first half and a resilient defensive stand by the Catalans in the final minutes.
Barcelona dictated the early tempo, controlling nearly 75% of possession, but the scoreboard remained dormant until the 36th minute when Raphinha broke the deadlock.
The opening goal ignited a “manic” period of stoppage-time action where three goals were scored in just five minutes as Vini bagged his first goal in 16 games to offer a sliver of hope for Madrid before Robert Lewandowski immediately restored Barcelona’s lead as Gonzalo García leveled it again at 2-2 just seconds before the halftime whistle.
The second half saw both managers, Hansi Flick and Xabi Alonso, looking for an edge. The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute when Raphinha struck a low effort that took a fortunate deflection off Madrid defender Raúl Asencio, tricking Thibaut Courtois to make it 3-2.
Desperate for an equalizer, Madrid brought on Kylian Mbappé, who returned from a knee injury for the final 15 minutes. The tension peaked in stoppage time when Frenkie de Jong received a straight red card for a professional foul on Mbappé, leaving Barcelona to defend with 10 men. Despite a late barrage of Madrid corners and a heroic double-save by goalkeeper Joan García, Barcelona held firm to secure their record-extending 16th Super Cup title.
