Real Madrid secured a place in the Supercopa final by winning the El Clasico in extra time.
Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday. The Blancos reached the Supercopa final as they edged out their arch-rivals in a tense match.
Five-goal thriller at King Fahd Stadium!
Real Madrid came into the game as the favourites to reach the final. They showed their confidence at the beginning of the game as they controlled the possession inside Barca’s half.
Following a few half-chances, Vinicius Junior scored the opener for Real Madrid, converting a perfect pass from Karim Benzema. However, Barcelona found their feet as soon as they conceded the opening goal.
Luuk de Jong equalized the game for the Catalans four minutes before the interval. Barca continued their impressive rhythm at the start of the second period, making several chances to score their second goal.
However, it was Real Madrid who managed to take the lead once again through Karim Benzema in the 77th minute. Barca were the better side before conceding the goal and continued their attacks immediately after Benzema’s strike.
The Catalans finally equalized the game once again in the 83rd minute. An inch-perfect pass from Jordi Alba found Ansu Fati inside the box, who sent the ball past Thibaut Courtois with a precise header.
Both sides showed their desire to avoid penalties during the extra time. Dembele came the closest for Barca, but Courtois denied him with an incredible save.
While Barca were increasing the pressure on Real Madrid’s defence they became more vulnerable to the counter-attacks. It was enough for the Blancos to clinch the match-winner in the 98th minute. Following a swift counter-attack, Rodrygo sent a cutback inside the box, which found Federico Valverde in the perfect spot. The 23-year-old controlled the ball before sending his side to the final with an unstoppable shot to the bottom-left corner.
The goal secured Real Madrid’s fifth El Clasico win in a row. The Blancos will face the winner of the game between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid.
On the other hand, Barcelonan will return to Spain to face Rayo Vallecano in a La Liga game next Wednesday.
Player Ratings
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (6), Pique (6), Araujo (6), Alves (6), F. De Jong (6), Alba (7), Busquets (8), Gavi (6), Dembele (9), L. De Jong (7), Torres (5).
Bench: Gonzalez (6), Pedri (7), Depay (6), Fati (7), Jutgla (6), Ezzalzouli (6).
Real Madrid: Courtois (6), Carvajal (6), Militao (5), Nacho (6), Mendy (7), Kroos (7), Casemiro (6), Modric (7), Asensio (6), Benzema (8), Vinicius Jr (7).
Bench: Vazquez (6), Valverde (7), Camavinga (6), Rodrygo (7).
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