Barcelona got here from an early objective all the way down to beat Actual Madrid 5-2 within the Spanish Tremendous Cup remaining on Sunday, scoring 4 objectives in a dominant first half and surviving having their goalkeeper despatched off to clinch a record-extending fifteenth trophy.
Barcelona’s gamers have fun with the trophy after successful the Spanish Tremendous Cup(AFP)
Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde had been all on the right track earlier than halftime, after French ahead Kylian Mbappe put Actual in entrance within the fifth minute. Raphinha grabbed one other within the second half whereas Rodrygo scored for Actual.
Barcelona put in a scientific show to elevate their first trophy in additional than a 12 months, having no silverware to point out for final season.
“A goal for big clubs is always to win titles, that’s why we work hard. But now we have to show it in the next games,” Hansi Flick informed a press convention after successful his first trophy as Barca coach.
“Real made many mistakes, and we knew how to take advantage of them to control the match.”
Barca prevented Actual from successful their third title of the marketing campaign, after they gained the European Tremendous Cup in opposition to Atalanta and beat Mexico’s Pachuca to the Intercontinental Cup final month.
“In the first half we didn’t play football, we hit long balls and that wasn’t the idea,” Actual coach Carlo Ancelotti mentioned.
“I told the players that they can lose games, but not in the way we played in the first half.”
QUICK TURNAROUND
Mbappe earned an early benefit for the Spanish champions, ending a solo run from across the midway line with a shot contained in the far put up.
However what seemed like a dream begin rapidly was a nightmare for Ancelotti’s males when Yamal levelled for Barca within the twenty second minute. Striker Lewandowski gave them the lead 14 minutes later from a penalty awarded for Eduardo Camavinga’s foul on Gavi.
Raphinha elevated the benefit with a surprising header from a superb lengthy cross by Jules Kounde within the thirty ninth minute, and left again Balde added a fourth for Barca deep into stoppage time after 9 minutes had been added to the primary half.
Yamal launched Raphinha with a exact move following Actual’s depressing nook kick, earlier than the Brazil ahead left the ball to Balde who scored with a easy end.
Actual began the second half with Rodrygo hitting the bar, sparking hopes of the hectic conflict taking one other flip.
However Raphinha quelled any sniff of a comeback when he made it 5-1 three minutes after the break, having slalomed previous the Actual defence.
Barca had been left with 10 males when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was despatched off for fouling Mbappe within the 56th minute and Rodrygo beat substitute keeper Inaki Pena from the ensuing free kick.
However Actual, who maintain a five-point benefit over Barca in LaLiga after 19 video games, had no photographs on objective after the penalty till Mbappe’s effort was denied by Pena in stoppage time.
Barcelona additionally misplaced defender Inigo Martinez earlier than the half-hour mark by means of damage, with Ronald Araujo stepping in.
Barcelona and Actual met within the competitors’s remaining for third consecutive time, with Ancelotti’s facet prevailing final 12 months whereas Barca lifted the trophy in 2023.
Barcelona booked their spot within the remaining by successful 2-0 in opposition to present Spanish Cup holders Athletic Bilbao within the semi-finals earlier than Actual beat final 12 months’s Copa del Rey finalists Mallorca 3-0.