Real Madrid defeats Atlético and goes to the final of the Super Cup, in a vibrant match

The leadership of Dani Carvajal and a header from Joselu that ended in an own goal by Stefan Savic, four minutes before the end of extra time, led to the final of the Spanish Super Cup Real Madrid, who defeated Atlético de Madrid (5-3) in the first semifinal of the tournament and are already waiting for a rival this Sunday in Riyadh.

Ancelotti's men won the first of the three derbies they will play against Atlético in less than a month, in a spectacular game, full of pace and full of alternatives and which was resolved in extra time, in the purest style of the white team. Unlike the 2020 final, the duel did not go to penalties, but the outcome is the same again.

Atlético could not settle the outstanding debt with the tournament and Real Madrid, on the other hand, eliminated the only rival that had been able to beat them this season. Real Madrid came out to push ahead, but found themselves with the unexpected blow of Mario Hermoso's goal at 6 minutes. The red-and-white central defender headed only a corner kick taken by Griezmann to make it 0-1.

The goal was preceded by an attack on the left wing by Lino, who sent a poisoned ball to the left corner of Kepa, who forced the white team's goalkeeper to fly and deflect it for a corner. The Basque goalkeeper, who regained ownership, prevented the goal in the first instance, but his defense left him sold on the subsequent corner kick and he could do nothing to prevent Hermoso's goal.

Madrid looked for an equalizer, but Atlético got out of the pressure very easily and once again reached the white goal in danger. For example, in a drive by De Paul that ended with a cross from Marcos Llorente, which Simeone delayed to the right side to bring on Saúl in the midfield, and Morata forced a finish at the far post. Bellingham and Rodrygo claimed the support of the Saudi fans, who almost unanimously cheered the whites on in the stands at Al-Awall Park.

And Rüdiger, with another saving header from a set piece like the one from Mallorca, tied the game after twenty minutes.

Atlético conceded the goal, Madrid smelled blood and went for the second. Rodrygo warned with a shot, after entering from the left wing, which Oblak sent for a corner. And shortly after came Mendy's surprising goal. Carvajal put a low ball into the heart of the area and the French full-back, starting again after overcoming his muscle injury, entered as if he were a '9' to prolong his teammate's assist with a subtle touch with the outside that passed under Giménez's legs and sneaked into Oblak's right post after half an hour of play.

Atlético continued to suffer, but sometimes a team can find relief if it has players like Griezmann in its ranks. The Little Prince received on the balcony of the area, turned around, broke Modric's waist and placed a sharp shot at Kepa's right post to become, now, the top scorer of all time for the red and white team with 174 points.

With the score at 2-2 it seemed that the first half would end, but this high-voltage derby still had another strong emotion in store before reaching the break. One last action by Rodrygo who, after controlling and moving inside the area between Savic and Giménez, forced Oblak to avoid, in two stages, the third. Ancelotti and Simeone did not want to touch anything at halftime.

The game was sweet for both teams and we had to prolong that feeling for as long as possible. Even Alberola Rojas contributed to the spectacle by letting him play as much as the interpretation of the regulations allowed him – he did not caution any player throughout the match – so that the match did not lose pace.

An error by Carvajal in releasing the ball could have put Atlético ahead at the start of the second half, but Lino crossed the shot too far after receiving from Morata. MReal adrid responded, with twenty to go, in a free kick that Vinicius took quickly for Carvajal, who with a very hard volley forced Oblak to save his team with a great save.

The whites seemed stronger in the last stretch of the game but, in the umpteenth twist in the script of the clash, Kepa came out to save a red-and-white cross that was aimed at Morata and, after colliding with the forward, the ball escaped him, which It ends with an own goal by Rüdiger in the 78th minute, to make it 2-3. But Atlético's joy lasted seven minutes, as long as it took Vinicius to receive the ball and test Oblak, who couldn't catch the ball.

The rebound reached Bellingham, whose shot was rejected by Hermoso and, on the second rebound, Carvajal was unforgiving and hit the ball into the back of the net. In added time, the newly introduced Brahim was able to seal the final with a great personal play inside the area, but he crossed his shot too far and the game went to extra time. With Memphis out of the squad due to last-minute muscle discomfort, Simeone opted for Correa to play in the extension and sat Morata, but his team no longer had the ball.

At this point in the match, the players of both teams were too exhausted to be able to maintain the level for another thirty minutes – Coke and Valverde, injured, could not continue – but it was Madrid that dominated and put its rival behind. And as almost always when this happens, the outcome is usually fatal for his opponent, especially when the match approaches its epilogue. This time the hero was Joselu, entered in extra time replacing Rodrygo, who four minutes before the end of regulation time headed home, with the help of Savic, the fourth white goal of the night.

Griezmann could have tied again on the next play, but his left foot shot just missed the post. And with Atlético completely committed, the fifth from Brahim would arrive in added time, who took advantage of the fact that Oblak had gone up to finish to aim Atlético into an empty goal from afar.

EFE

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