MADRID — Real Madrid sought revenge in the recent “clasico” against Barcelona but ended up with another humiliating defeat.
In the Spanish Super Cup final held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Madrid suffered a 5-2 loss to Barcelona, marking a disappointing continuation of their rivalry, particularly following a 4-0 defeat at home in the league last October.
Kylian Mbappé got Madrid off to a bright start, scoring early in what was his second encounter in a ‘clasico’. However, Barcelona quickly steadied themselves, responding with goals from Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha—who netted twice—and Alejandro Balde. Madrid managed to score again at the hour mark through Rodrygo, who found the back of the net after Barcelona’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was dismissed early in the second half.
This victory was Barcelona’s third win in a row in 2025, recovering from two consecutive losses at the end of the previous year. Lewandowski highlighted the importance of the Christmas break, stating, “The Christmas break helped us reflect on what we had done wrong. Now we can look forward to the run of games that we have until the end of the season.”
For Madrid, this match was a bitter disappointment, marking their first defeat after a series of five consecutive wins. Madird’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, expressed his discontent, saying, “It was a bad night. It’s a disappointment, we won’t hide it, but it’s soccer … you have to try to learn from the losses. We have to look forward to what’s ahead.”
In their previous meeting in October, Mbappé had struggled, but this time he made an immediate impact by scoring just five minutes into the match at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium. After taking possession just inside Madrid’s half, he skillfully evaded the defense and finished confidently. Yamal leveled the match for Barcelona with a well-crafted run in the 22nd minute, followed by Lewandowski putting Barcelona ahead in the 36th minute.
Raphinha added to the tally with goals in the 39th and 48th minutes, while Balde scored during first-half stoppage time. Although Rodrygo managed to score a free-kick goal in the 60th minute following Szczesny’s red card for a foul, it was not enough to turn the tide.
This match was also noteworthy for the performances of Lewandowski, who has now scored 26 goals in 27 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions, alongside Raphinha’s 19 goals and Yamal’s eight. Barcelona welcomed Spain midfielder Dani Olmo after the Spanish government temporarily allowed the club to register him in the league.
The Super Cup final followed incidents where Mallorca fans reported harassment by local supporters of Madrid during the semifinal match. Two wives of Mallorca players claimed they were groped in the aftermath.
The Spanish Super Cup has increasingly become a lucrative event for the federation and the participating clubs, especially since a deal was reached in 2019 to hold it in Saudi Arabia.
In other news, Atletico Madrid set a new club record by achieving 14 straight victories, thanks to a 1-0 win against Osasuna on Sunday, positioning them at the top of the Spanish league at the season’s halfway point.
Julián Álvarez secured the decisive goal in the 55th minute at the Metropolitano stadium, granting Atletico a one-point lead over second-place Madrid. Under coach Diego Simeone, Atletico has maintained an impressive performance across all competitions since their last defeat, which was a 1-0 loss to Real Betis on October 27. Eight of their recent victories have come within the league.
Simeone expressed pride in the team’s progress, stating, “It’s an important streak to show the growth of this club. We have been working really hard.” Conversely, Osasuna has now gone seven consecutive league games without a win and currently sits in 11th place.
On the same day, Getafe, currently in 15th place, managed to secure a 2-1 victory against 14th-place Las Palmas.
