Winners of the Super Cup
In a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, a deflected shot made all the difference as Barcelona faced off against Real Madrid. Raphinha kickstarted the scoring for Barcelona in the 36th minute with a stunning left-footed goal, but Vinicius Jr quickly equalized just eight minutes later with an impressive solo effort. Robert Lewandowski then put Barcelona back on top with a brilliant chipped goal only two minutes after, but Gonzalo Garcia responded with a rebound just before halftime to level the match at 2-2. The crucial goal came in the 73rd minute when Raphinha attempted to place a shot into the corner of Thibaut Courtois’s net, but it took a deflection off Asensio’s leg, leaving the Madrid keeper stranded.
This Super Cup encounter, while not always regarded as a priority, showcased the fierce rivalry between these LaLiga giants with goals, red cards, and intense competition from start to finish. For Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, this match serves as further evidence of his tactical superiority over his counterparts in Madrid. Since taking charge, Flick has faced Real Madrid six times, winning five and suffering only one loss to the capital club in a 2-1 defeat in LaLiga earlier this season. Whether against Carlo Ancelotti or Xabi Alonso, Flick’s remarkable record against Madrid stands out as a consistent challenge for one of Europe’s most storied clubs, outshining all previous Barcelona managers since 2000.
As illustrated in the table above, Flick boasts an impressive 83 percent win rate against Real Madrid, making it the highest success rate for any manager at Barcelona in the last 26 years. Pep Guardiola comes closest with a 60 percent win rate over 15 matches, followed by several managers with a 50 percent success rate. Even more striking is Flick’s points average against Madrid. He has achieved five wins and only one loss, averaging 2.5 points per match against Barcelona’s long-time rivals. This statistic far surpasses that of Guardiola (2.07) and Terry Venables (1.83), and greatly exceeds the averages of celebrated managers like Luis Enrique, Louis Van Gaal, and Ernesto Valverde (all at 1.67). For Barcelona fans, it’s worth noting that Flick’s average is also twice as high as that of his predecessor, Xavi, who managed only 1.2 points per game against Madrid.
