"The biggest surprise to start the game was Madrid's tactical setup: Xabi Alonso made a ton of positional changes and his team ended up playing with a back five for pretty much the entire half, defending in a very low block and trying to create danger on the counter. It was strange to see a Madrid team so defensive in a Clásico, but the plan worked as Barça didn't really create much in the first 30 minutes."
"The game was played at a slow pace with not much quality, but things quickly changed after a cooling break at the half-hour mark. Raphinha scored a beautiful opener after a sensational play by Fermín López, who intercepted a pass in midfield and found the Brazilian in a perfect position to score, and the floodgates opened as Barça created chance after chance and forced Thibaut Courtois to make a couple of strong saves."
"The Catalans were by far the superior team, but everything changed in an absolutely wild finish to the half: three goals were scored in a five-minute period in added time, with Vinicius scoring a great individual goal for the equalizer before Robert Lewandowski found the net in glorious fashion after an assist from Pedri, but there was still time for Gonzalo to equalize again after a crazy scramble in the box following a corner, and the score was somehow 2-2 at the break."
Barcelona won the 2026 Spanish Super Cup with a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Barça dominated the first half and finished clinically in the second, earning their second consecutive Supercopa and third in four years. Xabi Alonso set up Real Madrid with a back five, defending deep and seeking counter chances, which limited Barcelona's early creativity. Vinicius and Gonzalo created sporadic threats that Joan Garcia handled comfortably before a cooling break shifted momentum. Raphinha opened the scoring after Fermín López's interception, and Barcelona forced several saves from Thibaut Courtois. An extraordinary five-minute added-time burst produced three goals, leaving the teams level at half-time.
Read at Barca Blaugranes
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