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The Madrilenians won a clasico (3-2) played in Saudi Arabia, as part of the Spanish Super Cup.
Real players can celebrate. It was they who brought their club the 100th victory once morest Barcelona.
AFP
Thanks to its king Karim Benzema and an unexpected hero named Fede Valverde, Real Madrid won the clasico once morest FC Barcelona (3-2 ap) on Wednesday and qualified for the final of the Supercopa de Espana on Sunday in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.
This 100th victory for Real in the history of the clasicos bears the seal of Benzema: captain Merengue, breathtaking since the start of the season, launched Vinicius in depth for the first goal (25th), then himself put Real in front of (72nd).
But Barça came back twice, first thanks to a lucky goal from Luuk de Jong just before the break (42nd), then on a goal from the head of the prodigy Ansu Fati (84th), decisive upon his return from injury. .
But it is another player who capsized the hearts of the Madridists in overtime: the Uruguayan midfielder Fede Valverde, who came into play at the end of the game (82nd) in place of the eternal Luka Modric, hoisted the ” White House ”in the final by concluding an express counter in the 98th minute.
This completely crazy scenario has rekindled the passion for the most watched club match in the world, which has lost momentum since the departures of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and other Zinédine Zidane.
Benzema – Vinicius, fire duo
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema celebrates during Wednesday’s match in Riyadh. The two men were in all the good shots of Madrid
AFP
Ignoring the abyss that separates the two formations, between a Real undisputed leader of Liga and a Barça 6th and already eliminated from the Champions League, Madrilenians and Catalans offered a rhythmic, breathless meeting punctuated by class gestures, under nearly 30 ° C in the Saudi desert.
The first period was largely dominated by the Merengues, and in particular by the unstoppable duo Benzema-Vinicius.
Before scoring himself, the Frenchman served his 13th assist of the season and the Brazilian scored his 15th goal. Between them, they have already scored 38 goals in all competitions this season, one more than all Barça players (37).
In diesel mode, Barça took a long time to wake up … but it was the Blaugrana who dominated the end of the match and the start of extra time.
Xavi’s paw
Barcelona coach Xavi has made some changes that have paid off.
AFP
This second wind carries Xavi’s paw: for his first clasico on the bench, the Catalan technician decided to bring out Ferran Torres, who had just joined his teammates in Riyadh following recovering from the Covid-19, and to launch the nuggets Pedri, Ez Abde and Ansu Fati back from the locker room.
Choices that paid off: Pedri shone and Ansu Fati caused the extension, under the eyes of Spanish coach Luis Enrique, present in the stands of the King-Fahd international stadium, alongside 30,000 spectators (limit limit set by local authorities).
Ancelotti was right on Tuesday: “It’s not called a clasico for nothing”. The technician will however have to monitor the state of health of his troops: Vinicius limped out and Benzema was hit in the left shoulder in overtime, following a telescoping with his teammate Rodrygo.
The Madrilenians will know their opponent on Thursday in the final (7:30 p.m.). It will be either Atlético Madrid, reigning Spanish champion, or Athletic Bilbao, winner of the Spanish Supercup in January 2021 in Seville, opposed Thursday in the second semi-final (8:00 p.m.).
(AFP)
