Raphinha strikes twice as Barcelona edge out Real Madrid in heated Spanish Super Cup final

JEDDAH (Agencies): Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup after an intense 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in Sunday’s final in Jeddah. The match at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium turned into a thriller, with four goals packed into a breathless phase at the end of the first half. After an even opening spell, Barcelona gradually asserted control before the interval, and were rewarded in the 36th minute when Raphinha burst into the box and drilled a low shot into the far corner to give his side the lead. Real struck back in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when Vinicius Jr collected the ball near the halfway line, surged down the flank, skipped past two Barcelona defenders and finished into the far corner in a stunning solo effort. The first-half drama was far from over and two minutes later Robert Lewandowski was given space in the penalty area and finished with a delicate chip to restore Barcelona’s lead, only for the chaos to continue moments before the interval. From a Real corner, Raphinha made a goal-line clearance, but Gonzalo Garcia pounced on the rebound, with the ball striking both the bar and the post before crossing the line, bringing the sides level once more as the teams went into the break.

Raphinha struck again for Barcelona in the 73rd minute after drifting into a dangerous position on the edge of the box. Slipping slightly as he pulled the trigger, his shot took a deflection off a Real defender, wrong-footed keeper Thibaut Courtois and went into the net. As the clock ticked past 90 minutes, the temperature on the pitch rose again when Barcelona were reduced to 10 men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe. Real pressed hard but failed to make their numerical advantage count, going agonisingly close when efforts from close range by Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono were both kept out by goalkeeper Joan Garcia to give Barcelona their 16th Super Cup title.