After defeating Osasuna 2-0 in the semi-finals, Barcelona coach Xavi set his sights on an overwhelming victory over great rival Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. However, Real Madrid was the team that won overwhelmingly.
Determined to defeat Real Madrid, coach Xavi advocates creating a solid ball control position for Barcelona. However, that match broke down within the first 10 minutes of the match, due to Real Madrid successfully breaking the offside trap. Vinicius’ speed penetrated Barcelona’s high defense system to score in the 7th and 10th minute.
After taking an early lead, Real Madrid ceded the game to Barcelona when the Royal team only controlled the ball 40% in the first half as well as the whole match. In this match, Real Madrid only passed the ball 465 times compared to Barcelona’s 615 times, but their number of finishing opportunities was half as many as their opponents (18 compared to 12).
The only goal that Barcelona had in the first half was thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s volley after Mendy’s poor clearance in the 33rd minute. However, just 4 minutes later Araujo fouled Vinicius in the penalty area. It was Vinicius who successfully scored an 11m penalty to get a hat-trick in the first half and also won the Best Player award of the match.
In the second half, Barcelona continued to play deadlocked and lost another goal in the 64th minute. That was the situation when Rodrygo took advantage of Kounde’s careless clearance to easily score a 4-1 goal. The match seemed to end for Barcelona when Araujo kicked Vinicius badly and received a second yellow card in the 71st minute.
Thus, Real Madrid has won the 13th Spanish Super Cup in history, and also the first title in the new season. This is also the first title for rookie Jude Bellingham since he moved to the Bernabeu last summer.