Tag: Barcelona

Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe’s goals earned Real Madrid a battling 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday to close the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to one point.

After the Spanish champions had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos lacked sparkle but did just enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.

England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return after injury as a substitute in the second half of Madrid’s victory.

Arbeloa’s side had the better chances in the first half but failed to create danger on a consistent basis in a gritty encounter.

Arda Guler’s shot deflected narrowly wide, while Valencia stopper Stole Dimitrievski saved well with his legs from Mbappe’s fierce drive.

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Real Madrid right-back David Jimenez, from the club’s youth academy, came closest to scoring after French superstar Mbappe teed him up, but the Macedonian goalkeeper denied him, too.

Midway through the second half, Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing to give Madrid the lead.

Drifting inside from the left of the box, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside Dimitrievski’s near post.

Valencia might have levelled but Lucas Beltran’s effort on the stretch beat Thibaut Courtois and clipped the post.

Arbeloa brought on Alexander-Arnold for his first appearance since early December following a thigh injury, as Madrid looked to close out the game.

They eventually secured the three points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz teed up La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe, who finished calmly for his 23rd goal in the competition this season.

Valencia’s fans, some of whom had waved white handkerchieves during the match in protest at the club’s situation, headed for the exits with Los Che 17th, one point above the drop zone.

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Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored as Barcelona eased to a comfortable 3-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday to move four points clear at the top of La Liga.

The champions extended the gap to Real Madrid in second before Alvaro Arbeloa’s side visit Valencia on Sunday, with Marc Bernal also on target late on at the partially reopened Camp Nou stadium.

Barcelona’s first-half display was sluggish, even though Lewandowski’s goal had them ahead at the break.

“I was not happy… we were not on our level, the playing and passing were too slow,” admitted Flick, who demanded more from his side going forward.

“The first half was not how Barca wanted to play, (but) the second half was much better.”

Mallorca target man Vedat Muriqi came close early on as he slid in at the back post but hit the side netting, while Jan Virgili’s shot was saved by Joan Garcia.

Marcus Rashford added some urgency to Barca’s game after a listless start, curling inches wide of the far post after cutting in from the left.

A blocked shot from the England international led to the opener, with Dani Olmo knocking the rebound to Lewandowski to finish from close range.

Rashford’s dangerous free-kick was tipped onto the bar by Mallorca stopper Leo Roman, and Yamal missed from point-blank range as Jules Kounde sent the rebound into his path.

The 18-year-old made amends in the second half with a superb shot from outside the area, which left Roman with no chance.

It was his fourth goal in four games, with Yamal in his best form of the season.

“He kept his energy for the second half and the goal. Lamine is fantastic,” said Flick.

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Midfielder Marc Casado struck the crossbar with a deflected effort as Barca could have opened up a wider lead.

At the other end, Garcia earned his clean sheet with a good save to thwart Antonio Sanchez, before Bernal rounded off Barca’s victory.

The 18-year-old midfielder broke in behind the Mallorca defence, showed composure to open up a shooting angle and finished with the aid of a deflection, his first goal for the club.

Bernal broke into the first team at the start of last season, but a severe knee injury in August 2024 kept him out for around a year and delayed his progress.

“It’s a great joy for him, when a player has such a bad injury, we all feel it, we suffer with him… I’m very happy for him,” Casado told Movistar.

Bernal, who usually plays at the base of the midfield, admitted scoring for the first time for the club was an emotional moment after his injury struggle.

“When I scored, I thought a lot about how tough the last year was for me, so it’s really satisfying, for my family too, I thought of them too,” said Bernal.

Flick handed 19-year-old midfielder Tommy Marques his debut late on, as another youngster from the club’s feted La Masia academy made the jump to the first team.

“His technique is unbelievable, his body language is top,” said Flick, adding that the Spaniard may be able to start playing regularly for Barca next season.

In the late match, Real Sociedad moved up a place to eighth, just four points behind Real Betis in fifth, after a 3-1 win at home to Elche.

Earlier on Saturday, La Liga postponed Rayo Vallecano’s home match against Real Oviedo because of the condition of the pitch at Madrid’s Vallecas stadium.

They later moved Sevilla’s home game against Girona, scheduled for a 1730 GMT slot on Saturday, to Sunday because of adverse weather conditions.

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Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo’s goals helped Barcelona reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals with a nervy 2-1 win against Albacete Balompié at Carlos Belmonte Stadium on Tuesday.

The record 32-time cup winners were pushed to the end in a tight quarter-final clash by their second division opponents, who stunned Real Madrid in the previous round.

Yamal fired Barca ahead just before half-time, and Araujo headed home the second early after the break on his first start since taking a month-long mental health break at the end of last year.

Albacete created several chances in the last half hour, and Javi Moreno headed home with three minutes to go to give Hansi Flick’s Barca a scare.

“The last few minutes… it’s normal, they got a goal, the cup is like this,” Araujo told Barca’s media channel.

“I’m very happy (to start again), it was an important step… a hug to the coach, he helped me a lot.”

Holders Barca spurned some fine chances, just as they did in their win over Elche in La Liga on Saturday.

“It was a tough match at the end, it was very hard. We could have made it much easier for ourselves; we missed many chances, but I think also we deserved (to win),” said Flick.

“I’m happy, proud of the team, and we’re in the semi-finals, and that’s the best thing.”

Barcelona controlled the game in the first half but could not easily break down Albacete’s resistance.

Marcus Rashford spurned a couple of decent openings in the opening few minutes, and after that, the hosts shut up shop against Flick’s side.

Spanish champions Barcelona’s brightest player was, as usual, teenage star Yamal, and he struck in the 39th minute.

Rashford pressed well to win the ball back, and Frenkie de Jong’s pass bobbled into Yamal’s path for the 18-year-old to curl home.

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Antonio Puertas got in behind Barcelona’s defence at the other end but took a heavy touch, and goalkeeper Joan Garcia was able to snag the loose ball.

The stopper accidentally gave away a corner as he walked off the pitch with it to pat Araujo on the head, in a comical moment before the break.

Dani Olmo should have doubled Barca’s lead early in the second half when Rashford put the ball on a plate for him, but his shot was blocked.

Puertas’s volley deflected off De Jong and just over Garcia’s goal as the hosts threatened sporadically.

Araujo headed in Rashford’s corner as Barcelona doubled their lead and seemed set to cruise to victory, only for some late Albacete resistance to threaten an upset.

Jefte Betancor, who scored Albacete’s stunning winner against Real Madrid, cut inside Araujo and whipped a shot just wide.

Puertas put the ball in the back of Barca’s net with seven minutes to go, but an earlier offside disallowed it.

Albacete finally scored in the 87th minute when Moreno’s powerful header from Jose Lazo’s free-kick flew past Garcia, but they could not find another to force the game to extra-time.

Gerard Martin headed Fran Gamez’s effort off the line as Barca endured a nervy five minutes of stoppage time to triumph.

“We have to finish with more conviction,” said Flick, who said he was happy that Araujo netted on his return to the starting line-up.

“He scored a very important goal for us; it could help him to get more confidence and believe in himself,” added the German coach.

In the other quarter-finals, Valencia welcome Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad visit Alaves on Wednesday, while Atletico Madrid travel to face Real Betis on Thursday.

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Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha for the Copa del Rey clash at second-tier Albacete on Tuesday because of a thigh strain, and coach Hansi Flick said something had to “change” regarding the Brazilian’s preparation.

Raphinha’s injury, sustained in the win over Elche on Saturday in La Liga, is expected to keep him out for only a week, but Flick was notably upset by the issue.

The winger missed two months with a hamstring injury earlier this season and is a key player for the Spanish champions.

“To be honest I’m not happy with this, really, because he’s a very important player,” Flick told a news conference Monday.

“We have to see what we have to change and also what he has to change. We’ll speak about that in the next days because it’s important.

“This is the important phase in the season, we need every player to be able to play and when he’s out, it’s not good.”

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Barcelona have not lost a match this season, which Raphinha has started.

Albacete defeated Real Madrid in the previous round of the competition, and Flick said he was not surprised.

“This is why we love (cup games), there are sometimes unexpected results,” said the coach.

“Of course it’s like that — they have nothing to lose, they have only to win.”

According to Spanish reports German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, on loan at Girona, has suffered a hamstring injury which could keep him out for two months.

“I didn’t speak with him but I’m very sorry for him, but we have to wait for the results and we’ll see what happened,” added Flick.

Ter Stegen has played two games for Girona after joining them in January until the end of the season.

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Barcelona came from behind to thrash FC Copenhagen 4-1 and qualify directly for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday in fifth place of the league phase.

Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha’s second-half goals helped Hansi Flick’s side take control after teenager Viktor Dadason had sent the Danish visitors into a surprise early lead.

Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed Barca’s victory with a free-kick late on, which slipped past Copenhagen stopper Dominik Kotarski.

Five-time Champions League winners Barca struggled to find their rhythm in the first half but did enough after the break to clinch a top-eight league phase finish at a canter.

“We all came here tonight thinking of finishing in the top eight. We’re very happy with the win,” Yamal told Movistar.

“When they score a goal against you in the Champions League, it’s very hard to come back, but the team was strong and pulled it off.”

Flick said he was not impressed with the way his team started the game.

“I was not happy with the first half, but in the end, I think everyone — the fans, also the team is very happy,” said the German coach.

Barcelona knew they needed to win to be confident of swerving the play-off round, but fell behind as early as the fourth minute.

A slack pass by Jules Kounde was intercepted, and Dadason ran in behind Pau Cubarsi before firing past the exposed goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

Spanish champions Barca should have equalised, but Kotarski saved from Lewandowski and then pushed away an Eric Garcia effort.

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The Barca defender came close again with a long-range effort which smashed against the crossbar.

Three minutes into the second half, veteran Polish striker Lewandowski made amends for his first-half miss by pulling Barcelona level.

Dani Olmo played an inch-perfect ball down the right for Yamal, who cut the ball across for Lewandowski to finish.

Teenager Yamal put Barca ahead after an hour with a deflected effort from the edge of the box. His strike hit Elias Achouri and looped high into the air before dropping into the net.

Barcelona made the game safe when Lewandowski won a controversial penalty, going down after minimal contact from Junnosuke Suzuki.

Raphinha took the penalty, with his powerful effort beating Kotarski, who dived the right way.

Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, wrapped up Barcelona’s triumph with a free-kick which Kotarki got down to but could not keep out.

It was the England international’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, and a sixth nearly followed as his drive from distance cracked against the crossbar.

“For me, he’s very important; we need everyone,” said Flick. “When he’s there with his speed, his control and his finishing, it’s amazing to have him.”

Copenhagen, who had a late goal from Gabriel Pereira disallowed for offside, finished 31st and were eliminated from the competition.

To cap a good night for Barcelona fans, they celebrated in the stands when they heard rivals Real Madrid conceded a late goal against Benfica and would not finish in the top eight.

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Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga with a 3-0 win over Real Oviedo on Sunday, thanks to goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha and an acrobatic Lamine Yamal effort.

After Real Madrid beat Villarreal on Saturday to take pole position overnight, the Catalans edged a point ahead again.

Although Oviedo are bottom of the table with just two victories all season, Barca had to scrap for their victory as the visitors worked hard defensively to keep Hansi Flick’s team at bay until the second half.

Eventually, the hosts’ quality shone at the partially reopened Camp Nou, and after Olmo opened the scoring, Barcelona never looked back.

The pick of the goals was Yamal’s strike, an impressive volley from Olmo’s cross to secure Barca’s triumph.

“I know we didn’t play on our highest level in the first half… but the team has done a fantastic job in the last few weeks, months,” Flick told DAZN.

The coach praised Yamal for his hard work in terms of pressing and also hailed his fine strike.

“It was great… I’m happy that he scored such a (good) goal, and the third goal for us was really important,” added Flick.

Barcelona struggled to make inroads in a dry first half, and their passing was unusually imprecise.

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Injured midfield maestro Pedri Gonzalez watched on from the stands with an unimpressed expression.

Real Oviedo sought to attack on the counter, and Haissem Hassan drew a save from Joan Garcia from a long distance.

At the other end, Aaron Escandell made a fine stop at his near post to thwart Raphinha before half-time.

Barca came out with renewed energy for the second half and soon took the lead.

After Yamal and Raphinha pressed in the box, the ball broke loose to Olmo, who steered home.

Oviedo gave away a poor second goal after 57 minutes, with Raphinha running on to an undercooked back-pass from David Costas and lofting the ball over Escandell.

Barcelona’s third was expertly taken by Yamal, as Olmo’s cross was falling behind him, he produced an eye-catching sideways scissor-kick to wrap up the victory.

A huge downpour hit the stadium, sending fans scurrying as there is no roof yet, and those who remained saw Escandell deny Robert Lewandowski a potential fourth with a fine save.

“I think we were not at our best in the first half, (but) in the second we could score the goals, and that is the most important thing,” said Raphinha.

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed Tuesday reports that veteran goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will join neighbours Girona on loan.

Flick confirms ter Stegen’s loan exit from Barcelona

Germany international Ter Stegen has fallen behind Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny in the pecking order at Barca.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon the 33-year-old stopper needs to play regularly to make his case to start for Germany at the tournament.

“This morning Marc said that he is going to Girona,” Flick told a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Slavia Prague.

“I think Marc is a fantastic goalkeeper. We decided (to go a) different (way) for the future for the club and I think it was the right decision. But I wish him all the best because he is a fantastic goalkeeper.

“Maybe we see him in the German national team in the World Cup. (My) fingers are crossed for this and I think he has good chances.”

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Ter Stegen, who joined Barca from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, has won six La Liga titles with Barca and the Champions League once, among other silverware.

The goalkeeper missed much of last season with a severe knee injury, leading to Barca bringing Szczesny out of retirement to take his place.

Another injury kept Ter Stegen out of action during much of the current campaign, in which he has made only one appearance.

Ter Stegen did not travel to Prague, where Barca are aiming to secure a top eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League.

They are also without the suspended Lamine Yamal for Wednesday’s match, which will take place in sub-zero conditions.

“The good thing is that (the players) have to run because it’s warmer,” joked Flick.

Barca’s 11-game winning run came to an end with a defeat at Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday.

Flick said it could make his team improve, particularly in their finishing.

“We played on the highest level and this is what I want to see, it was better to lose (like) this instead of showing a bad performance,” added Flick.

“I think this could give us a little bit more confidence to believe in what we are doing… but I think we have to be more (accurate) in front of goal, this is what I want to see from the team.”

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Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defence ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.

The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.

Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.

“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN. “We played well, but we didn’t win… their goalkeeper had a very good game.”

Real Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.

“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro. “We’ve started this year in great form… this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”

In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.

La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.

At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range, but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up, and it was ruled out.

With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo, who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.

Yamal found the net himself, but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.

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Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.

Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time, but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again, and it was cancelled out.

Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half, and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.

Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross, and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.

Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.

Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.

However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.

They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort, but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.

Barcelona came within centimetres of an equaliser when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.

Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.

Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.

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Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal fired Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Racing Santander and into the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Thursday.

The Spanish internationals’ strikes helped holders Barca defeat second division leaders Racing to progress from a surprisingly tight last 16 clash and record an 11th consecutive victory across all competitions.

The hosts had two goals disallowed for offside, and record 32-time winners Barca did just enough to claim victory.

“We didn’t think they would be so hard to break down,” admitted Torres to Movistar. “We knew that we had to stretch the game, be calm, and in the end it went well.”

Having seen Real Madrid eliminated at second-tier Albacete on Wednesday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick named a fairly strong side, including teenage star Yamal.

After a 15-minute delay with some fans stuck outside, the match kicked off at Racing’s Sardinero stadium, and Barca quickly took control of the ball.

The Catalans struggled to turn possession into a meaningful opening, though, and when they finally did, Dani Olmo missed his kick from Marcus Rashford’s dangerous cross.

Racing looked to breach Barcelona’s high defensive line, but when they did get in behind, the visitors managed to mop up well.

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Giorgi Guliashvili’s low effort from range was fielded comfortably by Joan Garcia, and that was as close as the hosts came.

Barcelona continued to push forward in the second half, and Rashford had a shot tipped away and also drilled narrowly wide.

Eventually, the Spanish champions took the lead through Torres, after Fermin Lopez sent him through on goal. The Spain international rounded Racing goalkeeper Jokin Ezkieta and rolled home.

The hosts were forced on the offensive and twice had the ball in Barcelona’s net, but both of Manex Lozano’s goals were ruled out for offside.

Barcelona goalkeeper Garcia made a superb save to thwart Lozano one-on-one deep in stoppage time and avoid the game going to extra time.

The Catalans wrapped up their win with the last kick of the match, Yamal tapping in Raphinha’s cross at the back post.

“We played the game we had to play, we played a 10 out of 10 match, (with) two offside goals and the chance at the end… it’s okay, it’s football,” said Racing defender Alvaro Mantilla.

Elsewhere, Valencia won 2-0 at Burgos to reach the last eight.

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JEDDAH: Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with an entertaining 3-2 Clasico win over Real Madrid in the final here on Sunday.

Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans with Robert Lewandowski also on target as they beat Xabi Alonso’s team for a record-extending 16th triumph, despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card for a foul on Kylian Mbappe.

The French forward could only feature in the final stages as a substitute after a knee sprain, with the defeat likely to bring back recent doubts around Madrid coach Xabi Alonso’s future.

After Raphinha sent Barcelona ahead, Vinicius Junior pulled Madrid level with a fine individual goal to kick-start a frenetic end to the first half in Jeddah.

Lewandowski chipped Barca back in front, but Gonzalo Garcia struck deep in stoppage time to send the teams in level at the break.

The battle was decided by a deflected Raphinha effort after 73 minutes, as Barca claimed the fourth trophy of coach Hansi Flick’s reign.

Alonso is still looking for his first after arriving in June, and Madrid’s run of five consecutive wins across all competitions was brought to an end by their arch-rivals.

“Whatever way you lose it hurts, but it’s clear that this was a very even game, hotly competed, with a bit of everything,” Alonso told Movistar.

“We were very close to equalising, we fought it out until the end, and I have to congratulate Barca.”

Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-2 in last season’s final, also at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, but this was a far closer affair.

Flick, who led Barca to four Clasico wins over Madrid last season in four clashes, opted for Lewandowski up front over Ferran Torres and brought teenage star Lamine Yamal back in on the right wing.

It was a scrappy start in the Saudi evening heat, with Barcelona keeping the ball and Madrid sitting deep to resist them, while looking to find Vinicius Junior on the counter.

The Brazilian had not scored in his previous 16 matches but offered a potent threat, flying down the left and forcing Joan Garcia into the first save.

Barcelona began to turn up the heat, and Raphinha found a breakthrough after 36 minutes.

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Moments after the winger fired a fine chance badly wide, he made up for it with a low, early strike from just inside the area, across Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.

Real Madrid pulled level with a superb Vinicius strike, floating in from the left, nutmegging Jules Kounde and slotting home.

Barcelona went back ahead four minutes into first-half stoppage time, with Lewandowski dinking past Courtois after being played in by Pedri.

However, Madrid rapidly hit back just before the interval through Gonzalo Garcia, who finished well while falling after Dean Huijsen’s header bounced back to him off the crossbar.

The second half was a calmer affair, with fewer chances as the teams slowed down.

Mbappe was warming up on the sideline when Barcelona nosed ahead, with Raphinha’s shot from outside the box deflecting in off Raul Asencio to leave Courtois with no chance.

The Brazilian is in superb form and it was his seventh goal in his last five matches across all competitions.

Alonso sent on Mbappe for the last 15 minutes, trying to find a third goal and force a penalty shoot-out.

The French forward could not get a sight of goal but Barca midfielder De Jong was sent off for a high lunge on him.

Despite Madrid’s numerical advantage Barca had the best chance in stoppage time with Marcus Rashford firing wide when through on goal.

Asencio might have grabbed an equaliser at the death but headed straight at Garcia.

The last four winners of the Spanish Super Cup have gone on to claim La Liga and Barcelona will be hoping it proves a platform for success once again.

They have won 10 straight games across all competitions and lead La Liga, despite an inconsistent start to the season.

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