The Brazilian struck the winner in the 73rd minute as Bar\u00e7a celebrated a third successive final victory over Madrid under Hansi Flick, following last season’s Supercopa and Copa del Rey<\/a> successes.<\/p>\n Heading into the final 20 minutes, the tie had been delicately poised following a wild first half, which yielded three stoppage-time goals after Raphinha’s opener in the 36th minute.<\/p>\n First, Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior<\/a> leveled, then Robert Lewandowski<\/a> nudged Bar\u00e7a back ahead and there was still time for Gonzalo Garc\u00eda<\/a> to restore parity before halftime.<\/p>\n Madrid brought on Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a>, back from a knee injury, in the second half, but it was Raphinha who proved the hero as Madrid’s \u00c1lvaro Carreras<\/a> and Ra\u00fal Asencio<\/a> spurned great late chances to take the game to a penalty shootout after Frenkie de Jong<\/a> had been sent off. — Sam Marsden<\/p>\n – \u00a3298m for Lamine Yamal? The top 100 most valuable players<\/a> Bar\u00e7a win first trophy of the season, avenges October’s Cl\u00e1sico loss<\/p>\n Bar\u00e7a can now look back on the LaLiga<\/a> defeat to Madrid in October as a blip. After winning all four Cl\u00e1sicos last year, there was the slight suggestion earlier this season that the tide could be turning after Xabi Alonso’s side earned a 2-1 victory<\/a> at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u.<\/p>\n For that reason, Bar\u00e7a’s players were desperate to reassert their dominance over their biggest rivals and they will feel they did that in Jeddah on Sunday.<\/p>\n For large parts of the game, they completely controlled proceedings, accumulating almost 70% of the possession by full time. They deserved their lead when Raphinha netted, with Madrid’s two equalizers feeling like sucker punches.<\/p>\n That’s not to say Madrid didn’t also create chances on the counter. Both teams ended with eight shots on target, but the xG totals paint a better picture of who created the best openings, with Bar\u00e7a’s 2.6 considerably more than Madrid’s 1.38.<\/p>\n That is now four trophies Bar\u00e7a have won under Flick. The German coach spoke this past week about the Supercopa last season, providing the platform for them to go on and win LaLiga and the Copa del Rey. With a four-point lead at the top of the league, more silverware looks likely, although it’s the UEFA Champions League<\/a> that this set of players is so desperate to get their hands on. — Marsden<\/p>\n With Mbapp\u00e9 fit enough for only a place on the substitute’s bench — eventually being introduced in the 76th minute — there was more pressure than ever on another of Madrid’s star names to deliver: Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior.<\/p>\n But Vin\u00edcius hadn’t scored in 16 games, an unprecedented dry spell. It’s not just that he hadn’t been scoring; his lack of impact has seen him whistled by the Bernab\u00e9u crowd. His performance in the semifinal in Jeddah was notable only for his touchline war of words with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/a> coach Diego Simeone.<\/p>\n But when Vin\u00edcius picked up the ball late in the first half, in the second minute of added time, none of that mattered. Wide on the left, one-on-one with Jules Kound\u00e9<\/a>, this was suddenly Vin\u00edcius at his absolute, unplayable best: teasing Kound\u00e9 with the ball before smoothly nutmegging the right back, dancing into the box and finishing low past Joan Garc\u00eda<\/a>. His celebration, racing across to kick the corner flag, was an explosive release of emotion.<\/p>\n Vin\u00edcius badly needed this goal, and so did Real Madrid. As the second half began, he looked like a different player than the one we’ve seen in recent weeks, freed of so much tension and baggage. Twice, he went close to scoring again, Kound\u00e9 unable to cope. Only late in the second half, perhaps tiring, the Brazil<\/a> international was less of a threat, and he was replaced by Arda G\u00fcler<\/a> in the closing minutes.<\/p>\n Vin\u00edcius’ goal didn’t end up mattering. Madrid lost the game. But if there’s one positive they can take home from this final, and this tournament, it’s that one of the world’s best players — on his day — has refound the form that made him a Ballon d’Or contender. Now we wait to see if it was just a mirage or something more concrete. — Alex Kirkland<\/p>\n Madrid started this game with what looked like a deeply conservative, defensively minded system. Often, when Barcelona had the ball and were pushing forward, Madrid were dropping into a deep block with a back five, as Federico Valverde<\/a> dropped into right back, and Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni<\/a> joined Dean Huijsen<\/a> and Ra\u00fal Asencio<\/a> in the middle, with Carreras on the left.<\/p>\n Logically, Bar\u00e7a dominated. In the first half, they had 76% possession to Madrid’s 24%. There were legitimate reasons for Madrid’s approach: They were without key defenders such as \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o<\/a> and Antonio R\u00fcdiger<\/a>, and with the team having struggled to really convince for months now, they could be forgiven for taking the risk-averse, cautious approach.<\/p>\n Madrid suffered some heavy defeats to Bar\u00e7a last season, including a 5-2 loss<\/a> in the Supercopa final. They could not afford a similar scoreline this time, especially given the precarious situation coach Alonso finds himself in, where a humiliation in this final might have cost him his job.<\/p>\n And in that sense, the night was a success: Madrid avoided that kind of defeat. There were five goals, but divided between the teams in a way that allowed them to emerge with some credit. They competed, they fought, and they lost by a single goal.<\/p>\n But it wasn’t the “rock ‘n’ roll” style we were promised from an Alonso team, and it wasn’t an approach Madrid can expect to replicate frequently without facing criticism for a playing style unbefitting a big team.<\/p>\n On Sunday night, it worked to a point. Madrid were in with a chance right until the very end, when they spurned two great opportunities to equalize in added time. But it isn’t a template for the future. — Kirkland<\/p>\n Raphinha absolutely thrives against Madrid. With the benefit of hindsight, it is perhaps no coincidence that Bar\u00e7a lost their first Cl\u00e1sico under Flick in October when the former Leeds United<\/a> forward was sidelined with an injury.<\/p>\n Madrid had no such luck here. Raphinha returned at the end of November and has been slowly regaining his top form since. He sent a warning to Madrid with two goals in the semifinal win against Athletic Club<\/a> and should have opened the scoring in the first half in Jeddah, shooting wide after receiving a fine pass from Lamine Yamal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given his tireless running, it didn’t take long for his next chance to arrive, and he took it brilliantly to open the scoring in the latter stages of the first half. The winner was slightly more fortuitous, taking a deflection to deceive Thibaut Courtois<\/a>, but if anyone had earned it, it was Raphinha.<\/p>\n His recent record against Madrid is phenomenal. That is now seven goals and three assists in his past six appearances against them. Three of those matches have been finals: two now in the Supercopa and one in the Copa del Rey.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, he has 11 goals in 19 games this season. If this latest trophy is to prove a springboard for more Bar\u00e7a success this season, you would imagine they will need to keep Raphinha fit. It’s not just goals and assists he contributes, but the energy and intensity he supplies in heaps in defense and attack. — Marsden<\/p>\n Barcelona’s run of five straight clean sheets in all competitions, their longest such streak since 2020, always felt a little deceptive and so it proved against Madrid.<\/p>\n Vin\u00edcius deserves credit for his brilliant equalizer, but that is unlikely to alter how the first-team analysts dissect the defending beforehand. Questions need to be asked about Kounde’s role in the goal, as the Brazilian player skipped past him. The Frenchman has been below par throughout this season, although he could also have benefited from some help from Pau Cubars\u00ed this time. The young center back was a spectator as Vin\u00edcius came on to his right foot.<\/p>\n All of ESPN. All in one place.<\/p>\n Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now<\/a><\/p>\n The defending for the second goal was arguably worse. Cubars\u00ed again didn’t deal with a corner well, while Pedri<\/a>, who had just supplied a fine assist for the Lewandowski goal, was also too loose on Garc\u00eda. Bar\u00e7a complained about stoppage time overrunning, but they would have done well to take some advice from Roy Keane and, rather than worrying about that, do their jobs.<\/p>\n So, there is still work for Flick to do at the back. Whether the arrival of the attacking full back Jo\u00e3o Cancelo<\/a> will help remains to be seen, but for the neutral, it means much more fun, such as in the recent run of Cl\u00e1sicos and last season’s Champions League semifinal loss to Internazionale<\/a>, should always be just around the corner. — Marsden<\/p>\n What does it all mean for Xabi Alonso?<\/p>\n So, where does this leave Real Madrid’s coach?<\/p>\n Alonso has faced several match points now, and he’s saved them all. Before Christmas, when the pressure on him was near-unbearable following losses to Celta Vigo<\/a> and Manchester City<\/a>, Madrid won three games in a week to ensure Alonso stayed in the job over the Christmas break. On their return to action in 2026, Madrid beat Real Betis<\/a> 5-1<\/a> before a narrow, 2-1<\/a> win over Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in Thursday’s Supercopa semifinal. And now this: a 3-2 final defeat to a good team.<\/p>\n In a way, it all leaves Alonso back where he started. The doubts about him among senior figures at the club remain, because nothing that’s happened since has been significant enough to shift them. But there also hasn’t been anything bad enough to force a change. Madrid have been winning, without playing especially well — or here, they lost, while doing OK.<\/p>\n It means that barring something unexpected — always a possibility at Real Madrid — the most likely scenario is that Alonso stays in his job, and stays under pressure. For that to change, Madrid need to not just win games, but do so playing with a persuasive shape and style that feels like the team’s future, rather than a reaction to circumstances.<\/p>\n “We have to move on as soon as possible,” Alonso said afterward. “It’s the least important of the competitions we play. We have to look forward.” — Kirkland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jan 11, 2026, 05:59 PM ET Raphinha scored twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in an enthralling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402642,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-402641","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-soccer","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
– Unai Simon, Joan Garc\u00eda battling to be Spain’s World Cup No.1<\/a>
– LaLiga is back! Can Real Madrid beat leaders Barcelona to title?<\/a><\/p>\nBarcelona win their first trophy of the 2025-26 season by retaining the Supercopa de Espa\u00f1a.\u00a0(Photo by Fadel SENNA \/ AFP via Getty Images)Vini Jr steps up, ends 16-game goalless streak<\/p>\n
Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior broke his scoring drought, but it was not enough to lead Real Madrid to victory.\u00a0(Photo by Fadel SENNA \/ AFP via Getty Images)Madrid’s safety-first setup almost works<\/p>\n
More pressure is on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso after their Supercopa loss to Barcelona.\u00a0(Photo by Fadel SENNA \/ AFP via Getty Images)Raphinha continues his scoring streak<\/p>\n
Raphinha’s two goals against Real Madrid continue to prove why he is one of the best players in the world.\u00a0(Photo by Jose Hernandez\/Anadolu via Getty Images)Barca’s defensive and clean sheet mirage ends<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n