When the referee blew the final whistle, thunderous applause erupted from the stands of Bernabéu Stadium.
More than eighty thousand Real Madrid fans rose in unison, cheering and applauding all the Real Madrid players on the pitch.
Three-one—the giant red scoreboard displayed the final result of the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
Powered by Yang Yang's Brace and assist, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3–1 at home, making a winning start to the new season while also laying a solid foundation for the two-legged Spanish Super Cup.
Everyone could foresee that when Real Madrid visited Camp Nou Stadium for the second leg, they would become even more proactive, while Barcelona would find themselves in an even more awkwardly passive position.
More importantly, if Barcelona lost the Super Cup, it would undoubtedly cast a shadow over their new season.
The Real Madrid players applauded, embraced one another, and celebrated their team's victory in the first match of the new season.
More importantly, Real Madrid had extended their perfect record against Barça over the past two seasons. That was no small achievement.
In fact, Barcelona had transformed completely in the second half. They had shed their passivity from the first half, played with great initiative, firmly controlled possession, and repeatedly launched attacks at Real Madrid, building wave after wave of pressure.
After taking a 3–1 lead, Ancelotti saw Barça recover their form in the second half and immediately made adjustments. He replaced David Silva with Mascherano, building a tight defensive line through the middle and back. This once again restricted Barça's attacks, keeping them repeatedly isolated outside the penalty area.
The second half was rather dull. Real Madrid were almost entirely on the back foot, threatening their opponents only through defense and a few counterattacks. Although Barça controlled possession, they were