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Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Real Madrid: Superlative Barca Clinch Record Super Cup Title

Raphinha was the biggest difference-maker for Barcelona in an exhilarating Spanish Super Cup final.

Roberto Casillas

Raphinha (middle) scored a brace and was the hero in the final.
Raphinha (middle) scored a brace and was the hero in the final. / Haitham Al-Shukairi/AFP/Getty Images

In one of the most dramatic, thrilling and memorable games of the season, Barcelona defeated bitter rivals Real Madrid 3–2 to conquer the Spanish Super Cup, lifting their first piece of silverware of the season.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the first half before the game went into absolute chaos. Thee goals were scored in added time before the break, as strikes from Vinicius Junior, Robert Lewandowski and Gonzalo García sent the game level to halftime.

Tension invaded Alinma Bank Stadium after the break, as the arch rivals traded punches looking for a winner. But it was Raphinha who put on the Superman cape, scoring the title-winner for Barcelona late in the game with his second brace in as many games in the competition.

Barcelona’s reign over Spanish soccer continues and they have now won three straight El Clásico finals, defeating Real Madrid in every final they’ve played during the Hansi Flick era. The German has now won all eight of the finals he’s managed during his career.

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Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1)

Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski was back among the goals against Real Madrid. / Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—8.2: Did well playing as a sweeper and had a handful of clutch interventions, especially in the dying minutes. There was nothing he could do to stop any of the goals he conceded.

RB: Jules Koundé—7.8: Unfortunately for the Frenchman, the way Vinicius Junior made an absolute mockery out of him for Real Madrid’s first will be the lasting image of his Super Cup final performance. It must be said he was much better in the second half as he seemed eager to make up for that action.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—6.7: Continuously failed to check his back for incoming runners, giving Real Madrid a number of dangerous chances. A subpar showing from the teenager, who also struggled significantly when he tried to help Koundé mark Vinicius Jr.

CB: Eric García—7.0: García was a solid presence in Barcelona’s backline, doing well whenever he needed to intervene and constantly being the player that dared to venture forward to overcome the press and start dangerous Barça incursions.

LB: Alejandro Balde—6.4: A quiet night from the left back, who struggled to make an impression going forward and even failed to contain Gonzalo García.

DM: Pedri—6.4: The mastermind behind Barcelona’s absolute control over the midfield. No Real Madrid midfielder could contain Pedri’s brilliance as he dictated proceedings from the middle of the park and bagged an assist in the process.

DM: Frenkie de Jong—8.1: Rarely misplaced a pass and was a very valuable outlet to recycle possession. He was also stellar defensively, helping out massively in transitions, especially in the second half. Stained his performance, though, with an egregious red card in stoppage time.

RW: Lamine Yamal—8.1: Although he had a handful of dangerous actions, Álvaro Carreras got the better of him for the second El Clásico in a row. He did, however, improve significantly in the latter part of the second half as Madrid defenders began to look exhausted.

AM: Fermín López—7.4: Battled with Eduardo Camavinga man-marking him all day, but his energy in pressing created dangerous turnovers, collecting an assist as a reward for a successful recovery. His influence massively decreased after the break until he was hooked.

LW: Raphinha—9.3: Another big game where Raphinha delivers emphatically. Bagged a brace, including the match-winner and was the biggest thorn in Real Madrid’s side for a second Spanish Super Cup final in a row.

ST: Robert Lewandowski—7.7: Arguably the best he’s looked in link-up play in the past couple of months and brilliantly took advantage of the only goalscoring opportunity he was presented with.

Substitutes

Rating (Out of 10)

Dani Olmo (66’ for López)

5.9

Ferran Torres (66’ for Lewandowski)

6.4

Gerard Martín (83’ for García)

N/A

Marcus Rashford (83’ for Raphinha)

N/A

Ronald Araújo (90’ for Yamal)

N/A

Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Marc Bernal, Roony Bardghji, Tommy Marques.

Real Madrid (4-4-2)

Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois; Raúl Asencio, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras; Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo; Vinicius Junior; Gonzalo García.

Subs used: Arda Güler, David Alaba, Kylian Mbappé, Dani Ceballos, Franco Mastantuono.

Player of the Match: Raphinha (Barcelona)

Barcelona 3–2 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at Alinma Bank Stadium

Barcelona had the bulk of possession from the starting whistle, but it was Real Madrid who had the first notable chance of the match as Vinicius Junior was freed down the wing and darted toward goal, but he unleashed a weak finish that Joan García was able to contain with the first shot on target of the game.

It took over 25 minutes for Barcelona to finally test Thibaut Courtois, with Raphinha firing a powerful shot that went straight at where the Belgian was standing. Real Madrid deployed five defenders whenever Barça were in possession, man-marking Flick’s attackers and making it difficult for them to find space to operate.

With just 10 minutes left in the first-half, Lamine Yamal played a fantastic cross-field pass that left Raphinha through on goal, but the Brazilian incredibly dragged his shot miles wide of goal.

But the winger immediately redeemed himself, receiving the ball and running straight at Aurélien Tchouaméni. When Raphinha got to the edge of the box, he whipped a powerful low shot that went between the Frenchman’s legs and into the back of the bottom corner to give Barcelona the lead in the 36th minute.

Barcelona pushed to double their advantage before the break, but Courtois was confident as ever and denied both Fermín López and Yamal at the near post as Real Madrid began to suffer significantly in the final minutes of the first half.

However, Vinicius Jr. had other ideas, and scored a magnificent individual goal to bring Real Madrid level. The Brazilian made an absolute mockery of Jules Koundé, nutmegging him to enter the penalty area, dribbling past Pau Cubarsí and tucking in the equalizer into the bottom corner.

Barcelona answered a minute later, as Pedri played a perfect ball into Robert Lewandowski’s path and the veteran didn’t squander his chance, calmly chipping an oncoming Courtois before the ball went in after hitting the post, restoring Barcelona’s advantage deep into stoppage time.

The craziness didn’t stop there, though, as Dean Huijsen won in the air from a corner, forcing Raphinha to make an incredible headed-save on the goal line. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, Gonzalo García pounced on the rebound and fired a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and into the back of the net to send the final level to the break.

A frenetic pace and aggressiveness defined the early exchanges after the restart, a script that saw Real Madrid grow into the match as Barcelona struggled to maintain sustained control of the ball. Were it not for Joan García, Barcelona could’ve been trailing by the hour mark.

Barcelona finally responded with a well crafted play down the right wing that saw Koundé fire a violent cross towards the heart of the penalty area. Yamal arrived at the scene and got to the end of the cross but his shot went directly at where Courtois was standing.

But Flick’s men continued their positive passage of play and a nice play between substitutes Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres resulted in the ball falling to Raphinha. The Brazilian didn’t hesitate and fired a shot that deflected off Raúl Asencio, leaving Courtois with no chance as Raphinha secured his brace and restored Barça’s lead in the 73rd minute.

Barcelona tried to defend with the ball, but Real Madrid substitutes freshened the side as Los Blancos searched for the equalizer. To make matters more difficult for Barcelona, Frenkie de Jong was sent-off in the dying minutes for an egregious tackle on Kylian Mbappé.

Both Álvaro Carreras and Asencio had dream opportunities from short range to score the equalizer for Real Madrid deep into stoppage time, but twice García stood firm between the sticks to keep Barcelona’s lead intact.

After a nervous final minutes, Barcelona survived until the final whistle to win a thrilling El Clásico in the Spanish Super Cup final, defeating their bitter rivals to clinch the first piece of silverware of the season in Spanish soccer.

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats

Statistic

Barcelona

Real Madrid

Possession

76%

24%

Expected Goals (xG)

1.53

0.73

Total Shots

9

5

Shots on Target

5

5

Big Chances

2

4

Pass Accuracy

94%

78%

Fouls

4

6

Corners

4

3

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Full Time Stats

Statistic

Barcelona

Real Madrid

Possession

68%

32%

Expected Goals (xG)

2.60

1.39

Total Shots

16

12

Shots on Target

7

10

Big Chances

4

7

Pass Accuracy

92%

79%

Fouls

18

12

Corners

5

6

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Roberto Casillas
ROBERTO CASILLAS

Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.

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