Barcelona beat Real Madrid in a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final

Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, securing back-to-back titles and a record-extending 16th trophy.

The match at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium exploded into life late in the first half with four goals in a frantic 15-minute spell. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 36th minute, drilling a low shot into the far corner after Barcelona seized control of the midfield.

Real Madrid responded in stoppage time through a brilliant solo effort by Vinicius Jr, who surged from the halfway line to find the net. Robert Lewandowski briefly restored Barcelona’s lead with a delicate chip just two minutes later, only for Real's Gonzalo Garcia to equalize again following a goal-mouth scramble before the halftime whistle.

The winner came in the 73rd minute when Raphinha’s strike from the edge of the box took a lucky deflection off Real defender Raul Asencio, wrong-footing keeper Thibaut Courtois.

The drama intensified in the final minutes as Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong received a straight red card for a foul on Kylian Mbappe. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Hansi Flick’s side held firm. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia made two crucial late saves from Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio to deny Real Madrid an equalizer.

The victory marks Hansi Flick’s eighth successful final in a row and keeps Barcelona four points clear of Real at the top of the domestic landscape.