Three talking points from Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona | Spanish Super Cup final | OneFootball

It does not get better than hammering Real Madrid for Barcelona, and to do so in a finale only makes the victory sweeter.

Hansi Flick and Co made easy work of Carlo Ancelotti’s side at King Abdullah Stadium last night and dished five goals past them to take home the Spanish Super Cup and win their first title of the season.

The path was not easy and they were forced to play a man down for over half an hour, yet their resilience pulled them through and helped them script a historic win.

Robert Lewandowski, Alejandro Balde, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were all on the scoreboard for Barcelona on the night and helped the team lift the much-needed silverware which was hopefully just the first of many to come.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona.

Flick has Ancelotti’s number

It is almost impossible to believe that Barcelona’s two most convincing wins this season have come against Real Madrid. If the 4-0 humbling at the Santiago Bernabeu was not enough, last night’s performance serves as a testament that Hansi Flick has Carlo Ancelotti’s number.

Despite conceding the opener early, the Blaugrana were in complete control of the proceedings for the better part of the game. At no point did they appear intimidated as they created chance after chance opening up Real Madrid’s defence.

As happened in the La Liga meeting earlier this season, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were deadly on the wings and too much to handle for the Merengues’ defence.

The former played a playmaking role behind the striker and cut in from the left when and even provided blistering counter-attacks, overwhelming Lucas Vazquez on the flank.

Yamal, meanwhile, orchestrated the play and found defence-splitting passes time and time again, getting the better of Ferland Mendy and outshining Vinicius Jr. on the flank.

The midfield, meanwhile, shone bright with Pedri Gavi and Marc Casado holding strong and largely winning the battle against Los Blancos in the middle.

The very fact that Barcelona created six big chances last night compared to Real Madrid’s four despite being a man down for over half an hour shows the sheer magnitude of their dominance. Needless to say, winning an El Clasico in such fashion proves a very strong point.

Phenomenal management after the setback

Szczesny’s red card did not affect the outcome. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Barcelona appeared set to demolish Real Madrid by a record margin last night as they were 4-1 up by half-time.

Raphinha’s goal early in the second half only boosted their confidence and they were rampant in their attacking approaches after the half-time break as well.

Wojciech Szczesny’s red card, however, altered the texture of the game. Despite the team having the lead, there was suddenly a sense of insecurity over whether the team could hold on to the lead with over 30 minutes of play remaining.

Yet, Barcelona’s performance after the setback was very impressive and their management of the game did not give Real Madrid any chances to pull back into the tie.

Their lead may indeed have been large, but they defended well as a unit and gave Ancelotti’s men virtually no space to attack. Despite being a man down, they were impressive with their balance of offence and defence and did not commit forward much, sticking low to hold on to their advantage.

The team, needless to say, has come a long way from the draw against Celta Vigo where they conceded twice in a span of minutes after having Marc Casado sent off. The confidence is brewing high.

An invaluable trophy

Oh how desperately Barcelona needed this trophy and validation amidst the complicated season. Words cannot even attempt to describe the significance of last night’s result, especially for the dressing room heading forward.

After a trophyless run last season, the young core has always known they are on the right track this winning titles.

However, their slump towards the end of the year signalled that they may be running out of steam or required some additional confidence booster to stay at their best.

Now having been crowned champions of the Spanish Super Cup, the team will be more determined than ever before to go all guns blazing in the remaining competitions. Needless to say, it sets the tone for a strong finish to the campaign.

If the mere silverware was not motivating enough, the sheer manner in which they tore apart the reigning European champions is a testament to the team’s greatness and they will look to cement their path to success across competitions in the weeks to come.