Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick was full of praise for star winger Raphinha after the Brazilian’s impressive performance to inspire the Catalans to a hard-fought victory over arch rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Flick watched on from the touchline as his side edged a fiercely contested encounter at the Alinma Bank Stadium in Saudi Arabia, with Raphinha opening and closing the score sheet to seal the win for Barcelona.
The Brazil international put his team in front with 37 minutes on the clock. Then a goal-blessed first half stoppage time produced three goals courtesy of strikes from Vinicius Jr., Robert Lewandowski and Gonzalo Garcia respectively to see both teams go into the half time break with the game level at 2-2.
Raphinha would go on to have the final say though as his 73rd minute strike cannoned off Real Madrid defender Raul Asensio to wrong-foot Thibaut Courtois and enter into the net. That goal sealed Barca’s third straight win over Los Blancos in a final.
Speaking after the game, a delighted Flick singled out Raphinha for praise. The Blaugrana boss insisted that the Brazilian’s match winning mentality was key to ensuring his side’s triumph over their arch rivals.
“His mentality is impressive and we also have others, he influences the whole team,” Flick told Movistar. “He missed the first opportunity but took advantage of the second and gave us confidence. We had a lot of pressure as you have seen.”
With Sunday night’s triumph, Barcelona successfully defended their status as Spanish Super Cup champions having also won it last season. This means they have now enjoyed back-to-back triumphs in the competition for the first time in fourteen years.
Meanwhile, Raphinha continues to enjoy strong form in front of goal for the Spanish champions. The Brazilian has notched seven goals in his last five outings and he’ll be looking to carry that momentum into Barca’s next game against Racing Santander in La Liga.
