The 2022 Spanish Super Cup already has its two finalists, Real Madrid and Athletic Club will meet this Sunday in Riyadh to see who is the Spanish soccer super champion. Sunday’s will be the third final of this tournament that is played under the current format.
The inaugural edition of the format was in January 2020, which was played in Saudi Arabia in the city of Jeddah. The four participants were FC Barcelona, champion of LaLiga; Valencia, champion of the Copa del Rey; Atlético de Madrid, second-placed in the League, and Real Madrid, third-placed in the League and semifinalist in the Cup since the runner-up in the KO tournament had been Barça.
The two teams from Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid, played in the final after defeating FC Barcelona and Valencia respectively in the semifinals. After 90 minutes and extra time ended goalless, the final was decided on penalties, and was also the first in history to be decided from 11 meters. Luck favored Real Madrid who beat the rojiblancos 4-1 and thus won their eleventh title.
In 2021 the format was maintained but due to the Coronavirus pandemic it was not held in Saudi Arabia, as the Federation had agreed with the Arab country, but was played in Andalusia: the semifinals in Córdoba and Málaga and the final at the Estadio de The Charterhouse in Seville.
The participants in this edition were Real Madrid, champion of LaLiga; FC Barcelona, second classified in the League; and Real Sociedad and Athletic Club, at that time the two finalists in the 2020 Cup final that had to be postponed and was played in April 2021.
In the semifinals, FC Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 2-3 on penalties after drawing 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes, and Athletic Club beat Real Madrid 1-2. The blaugranas and the rojiblancos met in a final in which the lions won 2-3 in extra time. That was the third title for Athletic after those achieved in 1984 and 2015.
On Sunday one of the two teams, Real Madrid or Athletic Club, will repeat victory with the new format, and curiously the Super Cup champion will not be either the Cup champion or the League champion for the third time in a row.
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