Three Real Madrid stars have reportedly come under fire following the embarrassing 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de Espana.
Real Madrid and Barcelona locked horns for the second time this season, as they met in the Supercopa de Espana final at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, 12th January. Real Madrid scored the opening goal through Kylian Mbappe but failed to preserve their advantage, with Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Alejandro Balde all pitching with one goal each to put Barca 4-1 up at half-time. Raphinha made it 5-1 a few minutes into the second half, putting the game beyond reasonable doubt.
Wojciech Szczesny’s red card and Rodrygo’s free-kick goal in the 56th minute gave Madrid a glimmer of hope. However, Barcelona’s disciplined defending kept them from mounting a comeback. The game ended 5-2 on Sunday, with Barcelona securing their 15th Supercopa de Espana trophy.
Three Real Madrid Players Under Scrutiny After Barcelona Embarrassment
A few Real Madrid players received a lot of flak following their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in October, and according to Fichajes.net, the story has repeated after Sunday’s hammering. Three Los Blancos players have come under fire for failing to deliver in the Supercopa de Espana final, starting with make-shift centre-back Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Frenchman, who naturally plays in the middle of the park, was caught ball-watching when Raphinha barged into the box unmarked and scored Barcelona’s third goal of the night in the first half. Tchouameni was also unconvincing in duels and his positioning was not up to the mark as well.
One of the most senior players on the team, Lucas Vazquez is also on the list, having failed to keep pace with Raphinha in the cup final. He was embarrassingly out of position for Barca’s fifth goal, with Raphinha getting a free run towards the Madrid goal.
Lastly, there is 2024 The FIFA Men’s Player Award winner, Vinicius Junior. While Mbappe and Rodrygo left their all on the pitch, and deservedly got on the scoresheet, Vinicius Jr. failed to make any impact. As one of the most experienced players on the team, Vinicius Jr. should have held his nerve and taken the fight to Barcelona defenders. Instead, he spent almost the entire night showing frustration and getting into heated arguments with his opponents.
Understandably, coach Carlo Ancelotti has also come under fire after the heavy defeat, and the patience of the board is reportedly starting to wear thin. Unless Los Blancos finish the season with a major trophy or two, there could be big changes at the club in the summer.
