Barcelona orchestrated a stunning comeback to secure the Spanish Supercopa trophy, overwhelming Real Madrid 5-2 in an electrifying final in Jeddah. After conceding to Kylian Mbappé in the fifth minute, Barcelona responded with an attacking masterclass featuring a Raphinha double and goals from Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Alejandro Balde.
"I'm really proud," Barcelona manager Hansi Flick expressed after the match. "Proud for the team, the staff, the club, the fans, everyone. Today was an unbelievable match. For the coaches, not so much! But for the fans it's really fantastic."
A Timely Boost
The victory arrives as a crucial momentum shift for Barcelona, who had been weathering a difficult stretch in LaLiga. Following their early-season leadership position, they struggled through November and December, dropping points in six of their last seven league fixtures.
Flick addressed these challenges head-on: "We have to learn from every match. We can do things better, but we have a young team. We had some weeks where we didn't perform so good, and our situation in the league now is not nice."
Resilience Under Pressure
The team's character shone brightest when they maintained control despite being reduced to ten men for the final thirty minutes after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's dismissal. His replacement, Iñaki Peña, previously benched for tardiness at a team meeting, rose to the occasion admirably.
"When Wojciech was sent off, it wasn't easy for us," Flick noted. "Iñaki did fantastic, from zero to hero. But I'm very proud of how we defended, every situation, defending the goal as one team."
This victory marks Barcelona's second El Clásico triumph of the season, following their commanding 4-0 win at Madrid in October. Team captain and MVP Raphinha expressed unwavering confidence in their manager: "We believe in the boss and the boss believes in us. The important thing is we can fight for titles and win them."
Flick concluded on an optimistic note: "Today is a good day, we beat one of the best teams in the world, for the second time this season. It's unbelievable, we win a title here and we're very happy. Today is a day to be positive."
