Xabi Alonso expressed regret after Real Madrid's painful loss to Barcelona

Coach Xabi Alonso shared notable comments following Real Madrid's defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Coach Xabi Alonso missed the chance to claim his first title with Real Madrid after a bitter defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final of the 2025/26 season.

After the match, the Spanish tactician admitted his disappointment at not winning the championship, but also expressed pride in his players' performance at King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

Specifically, he stated: "My feelings are mixed right now. On one hand, there is frustration for not securing the title, but on the other hand, pride because the whole team competed fairly. We fought until the last minute. The final was very balanced, with different moments throughout. The team gave their all and everything was really very close.

The players showed great attitude and fighting spirit. I knew there would be moments when we had to endure pressure and lose ball possession, but we needed resilience, solidity, and confidence in our style of play. In the first 30 minutes, we almost didn’t allow the opponent any clear chances.

Many things happened in a short time. In the second half, we played better on the left flank with Vinicius. However, from a rebound situation, we conceded the 3-2 goal. I believe the team still had chances to equalize, but we lacked a bit of luck to push the match into a penalty shootout."

In this match, Kylian Mbappe did not start due to the coaching staff’s concern over injury recurrence. The French forward entered the game just after Real conceded their third goal, as the match was nearing its final minutes.

Regarding Mbappe, Alonso expressed regret: “Kylian should have been brought on just before we conceded the third goal. We needed his breakthrough ability, threat, and movement between lines as well as exploiting spaces. Mbappe provides that, but it was a bit too late. It’s unfortunate that by then we were already behind, although the aim was to increase offensive pressure."

Meanwhile, the 44-year-old coach praised Vinicius highly, highlighting his brilliant performance and effort until the very end.

He added: "Vinicius played excellently until the 85th minute, then asked to be substituted due to overload in humid conditions. He created breakthroughs, scored a beautiful goal, and constantly threatened on the wing. Although we are unhappy with the result, we can still take many positives moving forward. The most important thing now is the early recovery of injured players."

Returning to the match, Barcelona broke the deadlock at the 36th minute when Raphinha delivered a decisive shot into the opponent’s net. The final minutes of the first half were very lively with consecutive goals, ending the first 45 minutes tied at 2-2.

In the second half, the pace remained high as both teams pushed forward aggressively, creating many back-and-forth chances. The crucial moment came in the 73rd minute, when Raphinha’s right-footed shot deflected off a Real Madrid player, leaving the goalkeeper no time to react and securing the winning goal for the Catalan side.

In the remaining minutes, Real Madrid played with a numerical advantage after De Jong received a direct red card. However, Barcelona’s defense remained tight and focused, preserving their 3-2 lead until the final whistle.