Raphinha’s double seals a chaotic 3–2 win as Barcelona outlast Real Madrid in a draining final

Football does not always make sense. Sometimes it simply overwhelms. This Spanish Super Cup final was one of those nights, spiralling from control into chaos before Barcelona finally emerged upright, trophy in hand, lungs burning, legs failing.

The final moment captured it all. Every player was crowded inside Barcelona’s penalty area as stoppage time stretched beyond its limit. Raúl Asencio rose with one last chance to force penalties. His header came straight at Joan García, who clutched the ball and refused to let go. Barcelona had done the same. They held on.

Two goals from Raphinha and a composed finish from Robert Lewandowski proved just enough. Goals from Vinícius Júnior and Gonzalo García kept Real Madrid alive but could not save them. When the whistle sounded, Barcelona celebrated. Pedri could not even stand, crumpling with cramp as exhaustion claimed him.

For half an hour, the match barely resembled a clásico. Barcelona monopolised possession without incision. Madrid sat deep in a hybrid defensive shape, intent on surviving and releasing Vinícius on the break. The Brazilian almost struck first, denied by García, while Barcelona struggled to move the ball quickly enough in the heat and humidity.

Then the game detonated.

In a furious spell at the end of the first half, four goals arrived in 15 minutes. Chances flew in from every angle. Raphinha missed, Pedri created, Fermín López fired over. On 35 minutes, Raphinha finally struck, cutting inside and guiding the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois. Momentum swung violently.

Madrid looked rattled, late to challenges, overwhelmed by Barcelona’s movement. The olés began. It felt as if the final was slipping away.

Then Madrid rebelled.

As the half expired, a loose touch from Aurélien Tchouaméni released Gonzalo García, who fed Vinícius. From the halfway line he surged, glided through defenders and finished brilliantly. A goalless drought ended at the perfect moment.

Barely had Madrid celebrated when Barcelona struck again. Raphinha found Pedri, who slipped Lewandowski through. The first touch was heavy. The second was flawless, lifted delicately over Courtois. Madrid protested the added time. The football ignored them.

The madness continued after the break. A header struck the bar, Raphinha half-cleared, and Gonzalo García bundled the rebound in. Level again. The game that never disappoints refused to stop.

Calm never truly returned. Tempers flared. Asencio fouled Pedri. Vinícius tormented Barcelona repeatedly, forcing sharp saves from García. Rodrygo should have scored. Madrid sensed weakness.

But Barcelona survived, regained control, and waited.

The decisive moment arrived with cruel fortune. Raphinha slipped as he shot. The ball struck Asencio and looped into the net. It was not elegant. It was decisive.

Madrid threw on fresh attackers. The noise rose. Barcelona refused to yield. They passed, delayed, defended. Chances came in the dying seconds. García saved again. Then it ended.

Barcelona lifted the season’s first trophy. It may be the smallest on paper, but it felt enormous in the moment. A night of chaos, fatigue and relentless pressure had broken Madrid and crowned Raphinha as the difference