Barcelona and Real Madrid met again with a trophy on the line, and once more it was the Catalans who walked away with the Supercopa. In a breathless clásico that swung wildly from end to end, Barcelona edged Madrid 3-2, with Raphinha the decisive figure on a night that showcased both his ruthlessness and his resilience.

The contest began at a furious tempo, the kind of pace that makes even the opening minutes feel like the closing stages of a final. Barcelona, intent on pressing high and denying Madrid any rhythm, pushed their defensive line almost to halfway. Real Madrid, for their part, were happy to invite pressure and then spring forward through the pace of Vinícius Júnior and the intelligence of Jude Bellingham between the lines.

Early on, Madrid carved out the first half-chance when Vinícius darted in from the left, forcing a low save from Marc-André ter Stegen. It was a warning of what was to come, but Barcelona did not retreat. Instead, they doubled down on their plan: quick combinations through midfield, full-backs high and wide, and Raphinha constantly looking to attack the space behind Ferland Mendy.

The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute, and it was Raphinha who provided it. Picking up the ball on the right, he drifted inside onto his supposedly weaker left foot. With Madrid’s back line retreating, he needed only a yard of space. He found it, opened his body and guided a precise low shot beyond Thibaut Courtois and into the far corner. It was a finish of calm amid chaos, and it gave Barcelona a deserved 1-0 lead.

The goal ignited the game. Madrid, stung, responded with greater urgency. Toni Kroos began to dictate from deep, switching play and dragging Barcelona’s midfield out of shape. Vinícius, who had been largely contained until then, suddenly found room to run. When the equaliser came, it was pure individual brilliance from the Brazilian.

Receiving the ball near the left touchline, Vinícius drove at Jules Koundé, feinted inside, then outside, and burst between two defenders. With the angle narrowing, he unleashed a vicious strike that flew past ter Stegen at the near post. It was a goal that silenced the Barcelona end and reminded everyone why Vinícius is one of the most feared forwards in world football.

The parity, however, lasted barely two minutes. Barcelona, rather than retreat into themselves, went straight back on the attack. Pedri slipped a clever pass into the inside-right channel, where Raphinha had again peeled away from his marker. This time, instead of shooting, he squared the ball across the box. Robert Lewandowski, ghosting between centre-backs, met it first time, steering a composed finish into the bottom corner. Barcelona were back in front, 2-1, and the game had turned into a whirlwind.

Madrid refused to fold. As the first half ticked into stoppage time, they forced a series of corners and free kicks, pinning Barcelona back. From one such set piece, the ball broke loose at the edge of the area. Gonzalo García, alert and unmarked, pounced. His low drive took a slight deflection and skidded beyond ter Stegen, nestling into the net just as the referee glanced at his watch. At the interval it was 2-2, a scoreline that reflected the chaos and quality of a remarkable first half.

The second half began with a different kind of tension. Both sides had been stung by the openness of the first 45 minutes, and there was a brief spell where caution took over. Barcelona dropped their line a few yards deeper, while Madrid tried to slow the tempo through Kroos and Federico Valverde. Yet the sense that another decisive moment was coming never really left the stadium.

It arrived, inevitably, through Raphinha. Just past the hour mark, Barcelona worked the ball patiently down the right. João Cancelo overlapped, drawing a defender away, and Raphinha cut inside once more. This time his shot was less clean, a driven effort that clipped the outstretched boot of Antonio Rüdiger. The deflection wrong-footed Courtois, sending the ball looping agonisingly over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar. Raphinha wheeled away in celebration, his second goal of the night restoring Barcelona’s lead at 3-2.

The deflected strike changed the complexion of the match. Barcelona now had something precious to protect, and Madrid had no choice but to chase. Carlo Ancelotti turned to his bench, introducing Kylian Mbappé in search of a late rescue. The French forward’s entrance shifted the dynamic instantly. 

Barcelona, under mounting pressure, began to show signs of strain. Frenkie de Jong, who had been quietly effective in midfield, found himself increasingly dragged into defensive firefighting. When he mistimed a tackle in the centre of the pitch, arriving a fraction late and catching his opponent, the referee reached for a second yellow card. De Jong was sent off, leaving Barcelona to defend their slender lead with ten men in the closing stages.