Barcelona's triumph in the Spanish Super Cup

Last night's Spanish Super Cup final showed both Real Madrid's unexpected weakness and crisis and Barcelona's unrealistically cool play. The Catalans won their first trophy of the year with a 3-1 win.
Barcelona head coach Javi Hernandez's decision to switch to a 4-2-3-1 playing scheme ensured that his side beat Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. It took place yesterday in Saudi Arabia and ended in a confident 3-1 victory for Barça.

This is the first time we've seen a Real Madrid crisis under Ancelotti and it's depressing. Benzema repeatedly missed crucial chances, Modric was pacing the pitch (his tiredness after the 2022 World Cup was taking its toll), and Kamawinga's level of play was no match for the importance of the game. Even holding the ball was extremely difficult for the Real Madrid players.

The same could not be said for Barcelona, who were running about twice as fast as usual. Madrid's rout already began on 33 minutes, with a goal scored by Gavi. On 45 minutes, Robert Lewandowski doubled the score, and by the 69 minute Real Madrid were up 3-0. Only Karim Benzema managed to score 1 goal against Barça in extra time, making the score at least not devastating.

But it did not change the fact - Barça won the Spanish Super Cup for the first time in 4 years. Even the backers of Catalan coach Javi Hernandez admitted that his decisions on the pitch yesterday had brought the desired result.