Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with a dramatic 3-2 Clasico victory over Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, extending their recent dominance over their eternal rivals.

Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans, with Robert Lewandowski also on target, as Barcelona edged Xabi Alonso’s Madrid to claim a record-extending 16th Super Cup title, despite finishing the game with 10 men following Frenkie de Jong’s late red card.

After Raphinha fired Barcelona in front, Vinicius Junior dragged Madrid back into the contest with a moment of individual brilliance that sparked a frantic end to the first half in Jeddah.

Lewandowski restored Barcelona’s lead with a delicate finish, but Gonzalo Garcia struck deep into stoppage time to ensure the teams went into the interval level.

The contest was finally settled by a deflected Raphinha strike in the 73rd minute, sealing the fourth trophy of Hansi Flick’s reign and underlining Barca’s growing authority in Spanish football.

Madrid boss Xabi Alonso surprisingly started with Kylian Mbappe on the bench after the French superstar missed the semi-final win over Atletico Madrid due to a knee sprain.

Flick, meanwhile, continued his Clasico mastery, opting for Lewandowski ahead of Ferran Torres and restoring teenage sensation Lamine Yamal on the right wing after overseeing four Clasico wins over Madrid last season.

The match began scrappily in the Saudi heat, with Barcelona dominating possession while Madrid sat deep, relying on counterattacks through Vinicius Junior.

The Brazilian, who had failed to score in his previous 16 matches, still looked dangerous, forcing Joan Garcia into an early save with a darting run down the left.

Raphinha tracked back superbly to halt Vinicius during one dangerous break, highlighting Barcelona’s collective effort.

Barcelona gradually turned up the pressure, and Raphinha found the breakthrough in the 36th minute.

After squandering a gilt-edged chance moments earlier, the winger made amends with a low, early strike that slipped beyond Thibaut Courtois into the bottom corner.

Madrid responded through a sensational Vinicius goal, nutmegging Jules Kounde before calmly slotting past Garcia.

Barcelona regained the lead four minutes into stoppage time as Lewandowski delicately chipped home after being released by Pedri.

Yet Madrid struck again just before the break, with Gonzalo Garcia finishing while off balance after Dean Huijsen’s header rebounded off the crossbar.