Gerard Pique's brutal gesture as ex-Man Utd star rubs salt into Real Madrid wounds
Gerard Pique watched his beloved Barcelona thrash arch rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final, with Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde all scoring
Former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique didn't miss the chance to rub salt in Iker Casillas' wounds after Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-2.
Barca came from behind to beat Carlo Ancelotti's side in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, lifting the Spanish Super Cup for the second time in two years. A brace from Raphinha along with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde did the damage, despite Madrid taking an early lead through Kylian Mbappe.
Hansi Flick's men were also reduced to 10 on the hour mark, as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was shown a red card and Rodrygo scored the ensuing free-kick. Barcelona's five-star display marked the second time that they've won big against Real this season, having claimed a 4-0 win at the Bernabeu in October.
Pique, who spent a combined 21 years at Barcelona either side of his spell at United, was watching the game alongside Madrid legend Casillas. The ex-centre-back held five fingers up as he approached him after full-time, with Casillas appearing to be on a video call.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford in limbo as transfer bombshell threatens dream Barcelona moveREAD MORE: Jude Bellingham's logo trademark bid revealed as England ace aims for off-field winnerPique looked straight at Casillas' phone as he came closer and all was well between the pair of former Spain team-mates. Casillas did try and put Pique's hand down but he couldn't stop him from celebrating.
Barca's dominance began even before Mbappe's fifth-minute opener, as Thibaut Courtois was forced into two early saves. Barcelona equalised through Yamal in the 22nd minute and ended up boasting a 4-1 lead at half-time. Raphinha grabbed their fifth early in the second half and not even Szczesny's red card could ruin their night, as Madrid failed to muster a comeback.
Neither team are currently top of La Liga, as Atletico Madrid bid to upset the big boys once again, sitting one point ahead of Madrid and six above Barcelona. La Liga will resume next weekend following the winter break and both managers have plenty to ponder for the second half of the season.
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Sunday was a wretched night for Real, with Ancelotti admitting post-match: "The game was not good from the first minute to the last. With an extra man, we were not able to find solutions.
"I'm sad about the game as a whole. I can't take anything away from it except Mbappe's performance, who scored a great goal in a good move. We have to forget about the rest and look forward."
Flick, meanwhile, said: "The game we played in Madrid gave us confidence to win this kind of game and we showed that in our reaction to conceding the first goal. The team is amazing. We stick together and that’s important. The goal is to learn from every game and improve."
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