On January 22nd, Beijing time, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Benfica faced Barcelona in a thrilling Champions League match. The game was full of drama and excitement, with Barcelona making a remarkable comeback from a 2-4 deficit to secure a last-minute victory. The match started with a goal from Pizzi after a cross from Fernandes in the second minute, giving Benfica the lead. In the 13th minute, Barcelona equalized through a penalty scored by Lewandowski. However, Barcelona's defense faltered in the 22nd minute, allowing Pizzi to score again, restoring Benfica's lead. The situation worsened for Barcelona in the 30th minute when they conceded another penalty, which Pizzi converted to complete his hat-trick, leaving Barcelona trailing 1-3. In the second half, Benfica goalkeeper Trubin made an error in the 64th minute, leading to Rafinha scoring from outside the box. Barcelona's misfortunes continued in the 68th minute with an own goal from Araujo, putting them 2-4 down. But the team fought back, with Lewandowski converting a penalty in the 78th minute to reduce the deficit. In the 86th minute, Pedri provided an assist for Garcia to head in the equalizer. Then, in the 96th minute, Rafinha sealed the victory for Barcelona with a solo effort during a counter-attack. During the match, Barcelona conceded four goals, two of which were directly related to Szczesny's mistakes. In the second goal, Szczesny should not have come out, but he did so recklessly, resulting in an empty net goal for the opposition. He also collided with Balde, who was tracking back defensively, causing both…

At 3 a.m. Beijing time on January 13th, the Spanish Super Cup final officially kicked off between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Below is a brief review of the match. In the 5th minute of the first half, Mbappe broke into the penalty area from the right flank and scored with a powerful shot from a tight angle, making it 1-0 for Real Madrid to achieve a dream start. In the 22nd minute, Lewandowski made a through pass, and Yamal cut inside the penalty area and took a cold shot, leveling the score at 1-1 for Barcelona. At 17 years and 183 days old, Yamal became the youngest player to score in the Spanish Super Cup final. In the 36th minute, Gavi was brought down in the penalty area by Camavinga, and the referee awarded a penalty. Lewandowski converted the penalty, making it 2-1 for Barcelona to take the lead. Lewandowski has played 27 games for Barcelona this season in all competitions, scoring 29 goals. In the 39th minute, Kounde made a precise long pass into the penalty area, and Rafinha headed the ball into the net, extending the score to 3-1 for Barcelona. In the 10th minute of first-half stoppage time, Real Madrid's tactical corner kick was intercepted, and Barcelona launched a quick counterattack. Rafinha set up the play, and Balde scored with a low shot into the net, making it 4-1. In the 48th minute of the second half, Szczesny launched a long ball, and Casado made a direct pass. Rafinha galloped forward, broke through to the penalty area,…

Who Will Reign in the Spanish Super Cup? Real Madrid and Barcelona Meet for the 10th Time in the Final, with Real Madrid Winning 7 Times Previously In the early hours of January 10, Beijing time, the second semi-final of the 2025 Spanish Super Cup saw Real Madrid defeat Mallorca 3-0. The previous day, another semi-final ended with Barcelona eliminating Athletic Bilbao 2-0. Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in the final to compete for the championship trophy on the morning of January 13, Beijing time. The Spanish Super Cup was first held in 1982. At the end of the season, the La Liga champions and Copa del Rey champions faced each other in a two-legged home-and-away match, with the team with the highest aggregate score winning the title. If one team wins both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, the runner-up of the Copa del Rey will take their place. The current format began in 2019, becoming a cross-year event that includes the runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey, increasing the number of participating teams to four. From 1982 to 2024, the Spanish Super Cup has officially been held 40 times. The team with the most titles is Barcelona, with specific achievements of 14 championships and 12 runner-ups. Second is Real Madrid with 13 championships and 5 runner-ups. Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo La Coruna have both won 3 times, Atletico Madrid twice, and Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Mallorca, and Real Sociedad once each. According to ESPN statistics, this will be the 10th time Real Madrid and…

On January 9th, Beijing time, the Spanish Super Cup kicked off with the first semi-final match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. Thanks to Gavi's goal and assist, as well as Ilaixar's goal, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao under the guidance of Valverde. On this night, Barcelona received continuous good news, boosting the team's morale. Barcelona's 2-0 victory feels like finding a treasure! A 34-year-old veteran shone throughout the game, earning high praise from Flick, and the team is hopeful for winning the Spanish Super Cup. Barcelona overcame Athletic Bilbao, advancing to the Spanish Super Cup final first. The other semi-final will be between Real Madrid and Mallorca, with Barcelona having one more day of rest before the championship match than their final opponents. Barcelona's prodigy Gavi, after major knee surgery, has now scored his first goal since returning, which is helpful in boosting his confidence. Another Barcelona prodigy, Ilaixar, also returned from an ankle injury and scored a goal as well. Off the field, Barcelona successfully registered Olmo and Victor, and it is expected that both can participate in the Spanish Super Cup final, which is probably the biggest piece of good news for Barcelona fans. Additionally, Barcelona's goalkeeper Szczesny performed outstandingly, delighting the fans. In the match against Athletic Bilbao, Szczesny started ahead of Peña. According to Helena Condis Edo, a reporter from Cadena COPE, Peña was originally supposed to start but was placed on the bench by Flick due to being late for the warm-up training. Szczesny seized the opportunity to prove his abilities. In the match against Athletic…

The Spanish football powerhouse Barcelona has been in the news recently as they are about to face the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup. Their opponent is Athletic Bilbao, which is considered a tough challenge. However, Barcelona's officials are extremely confident and have even listed five reasons why they believe Barcelona will win the championship. Do they really think that the Spanish Super Cup is already in their grasp? Let's take a look at the five reasons given by Barcelona. First, the return of Barcelona's trident. Barcelona's young talent, Ansu Fati, is about to recover from injury, along with the captain Rafinha and the former World Footballer of the Year, Robert Lewandowski. This trio can form a formidable attacking trident upfront. Are other teams afraid? Second, the opponents in the Spanish Super Cup are all Barcelona's defeated foes. In the 2024-2025 season, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in La Liga. The potential opponents in the Spanish Super Cup final, either Real Madrid or Mallorca, were both convincingly beaten by Barcelona this season with scores of 0-4 and 1-5 respectively. Third, Barcelona's impressive history in the Spanish Super Cup. Since its inception in 1983, Barcelona has won the Spanish Super Cup 14 times, ranking first among all teams. Real Madrid follows closely with 13 titles. Fourth, Flick is the king of finals. Flick previously coached Bayern Munich and maintained an undefeated record in the finals of the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and domestic FA Cup. Now as Barcelona's head coach, he is expected to continue his…

In the upcoming Spanish Super Cup, the focus is on the old rivals Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. Athletic Bilbao's tactical style stands out, with a defense as solid as a copper wall and iron wall, and counterattacks as fast as lightning. The backline is like an indestructible fortress, with players of outstanding physical quality who do not hesitate in confrontations. Taking Vivian as an example, facing the impact of the opposing front line, his strong body is like a wall, and his precise positioning repeatedly frustrates the opponent's offense; N. Williams is an all-rounder, attacking with lightning speed and sharp breakthroughs, and defending like a whirlwind, using his superior running ability to make the sideline defense watertight. The midfielders are the defensive hub, like a group of agile hunters, cutting off the opponent's passing lines through active fighting and clever positioning, regaining possession of the ball. Although not as dazzling as Barcelona, the offensive end has delicate footwork from players like Sanches, dribbling like a nimble sprite, able to tear open gaps in tight defenses, seize the opponent's defensive gaps, and use the speed of the forwards to strike at the heart of the opponent's defense, delivering a fatal blow. On the other hand, Barcelona, as a football powerhouse, executes tactics with ease. They take control of the rhythm from the start with their superior ball possession, with midfielders' cooperation as smooth as silk, patiently looking for vulnerabilities in Athletic Bilbao's defense to launch fierce attacks. Their offensive firepower is terrifying, with world-class stars working in harmony, midfield maestros with…

Athletic Bilbao places a strong emphasis on quick counter-defense when transitioning from attack to defense. Once they lose possession, all players must immediately retreat to defense in order to gain numerical superiority and thus stifle the opponent's fast counterattacks. Midfielders play a crucial role in this process, not only defending against the opposition's midfielders but also assisting the defensive line. When facing set-piece attacks from the opposition, Athletic Bilbao has a tight defensive plan. They assign specific personnel to mark key players of the opposition and organize their defensive formation to limit the opponent's shooting and heading attempts. Goalkeeper Unai Simon, with his quick reflexes and strong aerial ability, is a vital component of the team's set-piece defense. Barcelona's defense focuses on maintaining a compact backline and working together as a unit. The defensive and midfield lines are closely connected, compressing the opponent's attacking space through proper positioning and mutual support. For instance, when dealing with long balls from the opposition, Barcelona's midfielders quickly drop back to form multiple layers of defense with the backline, successfully thwarting the opponent's advances. Barcelona adapts its defensive strategy flexibly based on the opponent's formation and tactics. When encountering a 4-3-3 formation, they focus on marking the opponent's central midfielder to restrict their passing and organization. Against a 5-3-2 formation, they utilize their numerical advantage in midfield to apply double-team pressure, effectively controlling the opponent's attack. Barcelona holds an advantage in overall strength and historical encounters. Looking at the comprehensive data, it is more likely that Barcelona will win this match, with an expected…

On January 9th at midnight Beijing time, the curtain will rise on the 2024-25 Spanish Super Cup, with Barcelona taking the lead in the semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao, followed by reigning champions Real Madrid the next day in their semi-final match against Mallorca. Barcelona and Real Madrid, the "two giants of the West Super", are naturally the favorites to win the title, but who will come out on top? If it were the Barcelona team from two months ago, they would certainly be worth betting on. At that time, Flick's team first defeated their nemesis Bayern Munich 4-1 at home in the Champions League, then swept their arch-rival Real Madrid 4-0 away in La Liga, becoming the talk of the town. However, if it's the current Barcelona, they can even lose at home in La Liga to a relegation-threatened team, so making it to the final of the West Super Cup is questionable. Real Madrid's squad strength is still above Barcelona's, but their performance is also inconsistent, compounded by long-term injuries and personnel shortages. If the opponent in the final of the West Super Cup is Barcelona, the outcome is really unpredictable. Before Flick took over, Barcelona had lost four consecutive official matches to Real Madrid. In last season's West Super Cup final, Barcelona under Xavi suffered a crushing 1:4 defeat to Real Madrid. If they meet in the final, it will be a revenge match for both sides. Barcelona wants to avenge their crushing defeat in last season's West Super Cup final, while Real Madrid wants to avenge their…