Raphinha fires Barcelona past Real Madrid in Super Cup thriller

The result extends their winning run to ten matches in all competitions and once again getting the better of their biggest rivals.

Real Madrid started with more aggression at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, with Vinicius Junior forcing an early save from Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

Barcelona soon settled into their passing rhythm, though, and Raphinha quickly emerged as the key threat. He tested Thibaut Courtois twice before finally breaking through, sliding the ball past the Belgian to give Barca the 1-0 lead.

Real responded almost immediately. Vinicius levelled with a fine individual effort in added time, but Barcelona struck back before the break. Robert Lewandowski timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and lift the ball over Courtois, only for Gonzalo Garcia to scramble home from a corner to make it 2-2.

The second half was tense and physical, with chances at both ends and several bookings as the game opened up. Joan Garcia denied Vinicius again, while Raphinha fired a free-kick over the bar. Both managers turned to their benches, sensing the match was there to be won.

The decisive moment arrived when Raphinha struck from outside the area, his shot taking a deflection off Raul Asencio and wrong-footing Courtois. Even the late loss of Frenkie de Jong could not derail Barcelona, who held on to lift the trophy.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was full of praise for his match-winner. "His mentality is incredible, his dynamism influences the whole team," Flick said. "He missed the first chance, but on the second he was there and scored, and that gave the team more confidence. This is what Raphinha brings to the pitch. It is very intense and we need that."

Flick added: "This final was very important for us because it is always something special against Real Madrid. We are in a good mood and have a lot of confidence now."

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso admitted frustration over Kylian Mbappe's delayed introduction. "Kylian was going to come on just before conceding the third goal," Alonso said. "We wanted imbalance and threat. It's a pity we were already behind, but the team competed until the end."