Barcelona scored four goals against Real Madrid in two consecutive matches for the first time in El Clásico history, winning the Spanish Super Cup by defeating its arch-rival 5-2.
Real Madrid took the lead through a stunning goal by Kylian Mbappe in the fifth minute – the Frenchman erased memories of his eight offsides in that 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in October – before Lamine Yamal leveled the two teams with a brilliant individual effort in the 22nd minute.
Then Carlo Ancelotti’s side collapsed when Eduardo Camavinga missed a penalty kick from Robert Lewandowski in the 36th minute. Three minutes later, Rafinha got behind the Real Madrid defense to head home a perfect cross from Jules Kounde. Alejandro Balde scored the fourth goal in the 10th (yes, 10th) minute of stoppage time in a chaotic first half.
Things didn’t get any better for Real Madrid after the break. Rafinha twisted and turned before adding his second in the 48th minute. There was more drama as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the 56th minute for bringing down Mbappé outside the penalty area, with Rodrigo firing a direct free-kick after a long wait – but the night belonged to Barcelona. .
Here, Dermot Corrigan and Anantajith Raghuraman break down the key talking points.
Mbappe fails to replace El Clásico
Whenever it seems like things are finally over for Mbappe’s Madrid career, things quickly start to unravel again.
Just five minutes later, Mbappé scored his first goal in El Clásico. Real Madrid sprinted from a Barcelona corner, with Vinicius Junior winning a challenge with Marc Casado, putting the Frenchman on the halfway line. Mbappe showed great technique and confidence by getting past left-back Balde, then slotting the ball past Barcelona goalkeeper Szczesny to make it 1-0.
(Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Mbappé looked lively after the goal, and was then quickly pushed forward by challenges from Casado, Pau Cobarci and Pedri near the halfway line. But as he moved away from Jules Kounde, he appeared to slip on the turf, and the right-back inadvertently hit his left ankle. A few minutes later, Mbappé received more attention on the pitch, as club doctors bandaged his ankle. All the momentum from his performance was gone, and Barcelona were soon cruising away.
It was reminiscent of when Mbappe scored another stunning goal against Atalanta in the Champions League in December, but he quickly left the field with a hamstring injury. This time Mbappé stayed in the team and ended up sparking a red card for Szczesny with an audacious run – but Real Madrid’s defensive collapse brought further frustration to Los Blancos’ newest star.
His career in Madrid has not yet fully begun.
Dermot Corrigan
Oh, Messi channels
Clever positioning to pick out a first-time pass, a zig-zag run inside two defenders, and a left-footed reverse finish just beyond the goalkeeper’s reach. Yamal didn’t score many goals this way, often preferring to slot his effort into the far corner – but if anyone watching felt a sensation I’ve seen before, it was justified.
Barcelona fans have seen this before. Against Real Madrid in their famous 3-2 Clásico win at the Bernabeu in 2017, Lionel Messi received a pass from Ivan Rakitic, dribbled past two challenges and slotted the ball past Keylor Navas to earn his side an equaliser.
Yamal repeated that ending with the same scenario, with the goal of putting Barcelona on its way to a 4-1 lead in the first half. Comparisons with Messi quickly became inevitable for Yamal, but moments like these reaffirm that they will continue: this was a Messi in the best sense of the word.
Anantajith Raghuraman
Madrid’s chaotic defence
Defense from both sides during the early stages left much to be desired. Neither group of forwards pressed as hard as a La Liga Clásico or a Champions League night. This means that there are often large gaps between the lines in the middle of the pitch – leading to a general feeling of chaos and the feeling of an exhibition game at times.
Barcelona took advantage of the situation better than Madrid. When the game was still in the balance, it was Camavinga’s very late challenge on Gavi that earned Lewandowski the penalty to make the score 2-1.
Things continued to get worse from Madrid’s point of view. There was a huge gap between makeshift centre-back Aurelien Chouamini and right-back Lucas Vazquez, which Koundé exploited with a brilliant 50-yard pass and Rafinha’s excellent header.
Just before half-time, a botched short corner left most of the Madrid squad behind the ball as Balde raced to finish calmly.
Then, with Ancelotti’s side desperately trying to get back into the game after half-time, they were stumped once again. Rafinha once again broke free behind Tchouamini and had little trouble converting the score to 5-1.
It was embarrassing now and Real Madrid had no one to blame but themselves. The lack of intensity and focus throughout the squad was punished harshly and gleefully as Barcelona achieved a historic result. A transfer policy that means Tchouamini and Vazquez – a midfielder and a winger – are now often integral parts of the back four has clearly contributed to the disaster.
Dermot Corrigan
What does this mean for both clubs?
The 5-2 scoreline was the latest in a series of Clásicos that have become increasingly surreal and often seem disconnected from other matches and events around them.
Each Clásico has always been its own world, rarely dull, with drama and controversy almost guaranteed every time these two teams play.
Going into tonight’s match, the previous ten meetings had achieved five wins each, including two 4-0 victories for Barcelona and Madrid victories with scores of 4-0 and 4-1.
The swing reflects an increasingly strange relationship off the field. Madrid and Barcelona are historic rivals and the matches are often bitter battles. But the clubs have also become increasingly intertwined given their shared support for the zombie Super League project, similar battles against La Liga and UEFA, and their reliance on the same American financiers.
Ancelotti’s side have now conceded at least four goals in two consecutive Clásicos for the first time in history (Fadil Sina/AFP via Getty Images)
It seems significant that the Bernabeu team did not publicly criticize the Spanish government’s intervention to allow Dani Olmo to score after La Liga and the Spanish Federation said he could not.
This result will remain very embarrassing for Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, especially since it came after a 4-0 defeat in the Spanish League in October, making it the worst set of consecutive defeats in more than a century of El Clásico matches.
Perez is less prone to resignations these days, but Ancelotti remains concerned. Big defeats in Clásicos often have consequences, and the Italian suffers many of them.
Dermot Corrigan
Barcelona’s goal-scoring was never a dull moment
Hansi Flick’s philosophy – best characterized by Barcelona’s high defensive line – is to create chaos with speed and direct play. This chaos in turn leads to quality openings on both ends of the field. The team that makes the most of these opportunities often comes out on top.
As well as deliberately creating chaos, Barcelona have tended this season to score with quick shots – when they scored in first-half stoppage time and the 49th minute for a 2-1 win over Valencia in La Liga. In the same month, they scored four goals in 21 minutes to crush Real Valladolid 7-0.
They scored three goals in 17, 18, 25 and 15 minutes against Girona, Villarreal, Alaves and Sevilla respectively, before each scoring twice in the second half to win 4-0 in the first Clásico of the season. This was followed by another hat-trick against Espanyol (19 minutes) and Mallorca (10 minutes).
In the Champions League, Barcelona scored three goals in 17, 20 and 12 minutes against Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade, respectively. They went a few notches higher by putting five goals past Madrid in 35 minutes (including stoppages) tonight.
Barcelona games are basketball affairs – and this time they came out on top once again to win Flick’s first title as Barcelona coach.
Anantajith Raghuraman
What did Carlo Ancelotti say?
“I understand the fans’ sadness and I am very sorry,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “But we have to look forward, look forward to the next game and continue the dynamic we had up to this game.
“I don’t have anything (positive) to take away from this match. Only the match Mbappe played. He made some good plays, scored the goal… We have to forget the rest and look forward.”
When asked specifically about the performance of Vazquez and Chuamini, Ancelotti said: “I don’t have to mention anyone’s name. I’m talking about the team. We didn’t defend well in defense and in the midfield… The team was not cohesive and we have to get back to defending well.
What did Hansi Flick say?
“I am very proud of the players, the club and the fans,” Flick said in his post-match press conference. “It was a great match, we reacted to Real Madrid’s first goal and then continued to play very well.
“We have to learn from every game. We can still do better things, we have a young team, some weeks we didn’t play well, the situation in the league is not good, but we talk about these things in the dressing room.
“When Szczesny was sent off, it wasn’t easy. We had a discussion on the bench. What I’m most proud of is the way we defended. I’m very happy with a lot of things, but above all that.”
What’s next for Madrid?
Thursday 16 January: Celta Vigo (H), Copa del Rey, 8.30pm (GMT), 3.30pm (ET)
What’s next for Barcelona?
Wednesday 15 January: Real Betis (H), Copa del Rey, 8pm (GMT), 3pm (ET)
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(Top image: Jose Britton/Bakees Action/Norphoto via Getty Images)
