A fourth Spanish Super Cup final in a row was contested by Barcelona and Real Madrid on Sunday, with the Catalans waltzing into the showpiece at a canter, and Los Blancos making heavier weather of a game where they took an early lead.
Not that either side’s semi-final result was going to be a guideline as to how this game played out.
At least four goals had been scored in the previous three editions and, oddly enough, the runners-up in La Liga in each of those years had beaten the league winners in the Super Cup.
Therefore, if Barca didn’t want to lose a second El Clasico in succession in 2025/26, they’d need to reverse the pattern that had emerged in those three finals.
The Catalans had, of course, beaten Real in last season’s Copa del Rey final, so victory over the eternal rival certainly wasn’t beyond them.
Let’s take a look at three talking points from the game…
A lesson in how to keep the ball
Regardless of the result, for long periods of the final, Barcelona gave Real Madrid a lesson in possession-based football.
It’s been that way previously against Los Blancos of course, but in the first 45 particularly, the Catalans were formidable in terms of the way in which they kept the ball.
Whether at full tilt or slowing the game down to walking pace, all of the quality came from those in blaugrana.
The likes of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong dictated the ebb and flow of the game, with team-mates adept at keeping Real’s players at arm’s length.
Frustration from the likes of Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras came as a result of almost every player in white rarely being able to put a foot on the ball before the half-time whistle sounded.
Another captain’s performance from Barca’s brilliant Brazilian
(Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Time and time and time again, Raphinha has stepped up to the plate and produced a performance of real quality.
He deserved the slice of luck that ultimately brought him the winner, because it wasn’t just his goals that authored another victory, there were plenty of occasions when he’d work back and help his full-back.
Hard work has typified his time under Hansi Flick, and if Barca’s young players are looking to see what it takes to be a success for the club, they need look no further than the example of the No.11
Lack of defensive solidity is still a real concern
Going ahead twice when dominating the game, only to be pegged back on both occasions, was regrettable, and that’s being kind.
Vinicius hadn’t managed to score in 16 games before the final, and yet each time he came up against Jules Kounde, there was a sense that a goal was soon in the offing.
Notwithstanding that it was a superb piece of play by the Brazilian, the Frenchman has enough experience to curtail those sorts of chances at source.
(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Allowing Real to equalise again so soon after Robert Lewandowski put Barca back in front was unforgivable.
It’s a recurring problem that seems to rear its head every week, but is glossed over because the Catalans keep winning.
That said, Barca somewhat redeemed themselves with a backs-against-the-wall showing in the final quarter hour.
Barcelona have now won three consecutive finals against Real Madrid for the first time ever and head back to Spain still with a four-point lead over their bitter rivals in La Liga.