The Supercopa has returned to Saudi Arabia, in a battle between Spain’s two biggest rivals. The first semi-final, which pitted Real Madrid once morest Barcelona on Wednesday, smiled at the leader of the championship, at the end of the suspense (3-2 following extra time) and at the end of a high-level show in a busy stadium. The Madrilenians will meet Sunday in the final the winner of Atlético de Madrid – Athletic Bilbao, which is played this Thursday (8 p.m.), still at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Arabia.
What you must remember
If it no longer has the fury of previous years – 17 points separate the Madrid leader from his Barcelona rival, 6th in the league – the 248th clasico in history remains a major event, always exacerbating passions. . And this time the controversies. In white, Madrid, 11 Supercup, has lost only one of its last 18 matches, thanks in particular to Karim Benzema, more fit than ever. In blue, Barça, two more trophies but already out of the Champions League, is counting on Ferran Torres, his new recruit, to restore his tarnished image.
The Catalans are urgent from the start, but it is Carlo Ancelotti’s players who are the most dangerous, with opportunities for Benzema (4th), Asensio (7th, 19th), and Vinicius Jr (12th). The latter is rewarded when the center forward of the Blues steals the ball in the feet of Busquets and offers him a real caviar (1-0, 25th). You have to wait half an hour to see Barcelona finally come out, thanks to Ousmane Dembélé, but Courtois is watching. Shortly before the break, Luuk de Jong benefited from a happy block to equalize.
Returning from the locker room, Torres, short of form, is replaced. The Blaugrana have returned to the game, although Dani Alves is regularly mystified by Vinicius. In the 72nd minute, Ferland Mendy once once more overwhelms the former PSG player and gives Karim Benzema, who takes it twice to score. An advantage that only lasts regarding ten minutes, until the head of Ansu Fati (2-2, 83rd).
In extra time, Real play a beautiful 4 once morest 2 concluded by Valverde (98th). The return to play of Memphis Depay does not change anything.
The player: Ferland Mendy
Injured at the start of the season, the 26-year-old French international defender from Madrid returned to competition on October 19 in the Champions League once morest Shakhtar Donetsk. Since then, his team have lost only once, ten days ago in Getafe. The native of Yvelines caused misery to the Barcelona attackers. In his goal, Thibaut Courtois for his part saved several times the house merengue and allowed to keep his advantage.
The number: 100
Like the number of victories for Real Madrid in a Clasico. It is also the fifth in a row, the longest series of victories once morest Barcelona since 1965. The last success of the Catalans dates back to March 2, 2019, at the Santiago Bernabeu (1-0).
