Real Madrid edged out their city rivals in a thrilling clash to reach the Spanish Super Cup final.
Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 5-3 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. A late own goal from Stefan Savic inspired Blancos’ victory in Riyadh.
What happened?
After a brilliant start to the game, Atletico went ahead through Mario Hermoso’s goal in the sixth minute. However, Real Madrid gradually found their feet in the match, coming back from behind to make it 2-1 before the half-hour mark.
Goals from Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy put the Blancos ahead. But then Antonio Griezmann brought Atletico back into the game with a spectacular shot from behind the box.
The first half ended in a 2-2 draw. But the game still had a lot to offer as Real Madrid immediately started pushing to restore their lead after the break.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side missed a host of serious chances, only for Atletico to complete their comeback with Rudiger’s own goal. Desperate to score a late equalizer, Real Madrid pushed forward in numbers, finally making it 3-3 through Dani Carvajal in the 85th minute.
Atletico clearly wanted to face their city rivals in penalties. But Real Madrid finished off the game with two goals in the extra time, finally breaking Atletico’s resistance. First, an own goal from Stefan Savic put the Blancos ahead in the 116th minute. Brahim Diaz then put the icing on the cake for Ancelotti’s side as he made it 5-3 six minutes later.
Player Ratings
Real Madrid: Kepa (5); Carvajal (9), Rudiger (6), Nacho (5), Mendy (7); Tchouameni (6), Valverde (8), Modric (7), Bellingham (7); Vinicius Jr (8), Rodrygo (7).
Bench: Kroos (7), Diaz (7), Camavinga (6), Ceballos (6), Joselu (7), Guler (6).
Atletico Madrid: Oblak (5); Savic (5), Gimenez (5), Hermoso (7); Llorente (7), De Paul (7), Koke (6), Saul (6), Lino (7); Griezmann (8), Morata (6).
Bench: Molina (4), Riquelme (6), Witsel (5), Corra (6), Galan (5), Azpilicueta (5).