Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup by beating Athletic Bilbao by 2-0 on Sunday.
Luka Modric and a Karim Benzema penalty secured them a comfortable win at the hands of
Saudi Arabia.
Modric’s curling strike toward the final minute of the first half and Benzema’s goal early in
the second set up the victory for Madrid, which won their first trophy during Carlo
Ancelotti’s first stint as coach.
Athletic had defeated La Liga champions Atletico Madrid to make it to the final.
Still, they were thwarted in the King Fahd Stadium by a well-organized, smooth Real Madrid
side who only lost one time in the 20 matches they played.
They had a chance to win in the 87th minute when they received a penalty.
Eder Militao was dismissed; however, Raul Garcia was not right, and Madrid’s victory was
assured.
Ancelotti’s team will play Elche on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey and Paris Saint-Germain
quarterfinals next month in the final 16 in the Champions League.
Within La Liga, they are five points clear of the top.
“It’s an impulse, an impulse to keep going,” Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti. “We don’t have much time to think because another competition is coming.”
Modric continued his excellent form when he scored the opening goal and making Modric
the oldest goal scorer of the Spanish Super Cup history at 36.
The 33-year-old Marcelo was also on the field for the final minutes and then lifted his 23rd
trophy with Real Madrid, equalling the amount Paco Gento, who is the player with the
highest success in the history of the club.
“He’s one of the greats, a legend of this club,” said Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Ancelotti is now the proud owner of five trophies to his name as Real Madrid coach, adding
the Spanish Super Cup to the Copa del Rey, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club
World Cup he won in his first stint.
The Spanish Super Cup stayed in Spain in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Still, it has since returned to Saudi Arabia as part of an agreement through 2029 that will
pay its Spanish football federation about 30 million euros per year.
The criticisms of coaches and players have been largely ignored; however, the Athletic
Bilbao’s Raul Garcia made a statement last week.
He said that moving to a Spanish tournament 7,000 miles away was indicative of officials
“forgetting the basics of football.”
The criticism has come more out from human rights groups such as Amnesty International,
who have claimed that the federation has failed to assist “harassed and persecuted women
in Saudi Arabia” and of being a part of Saudi “image-washing.”
Athletes Inaki Williams and Orhan Sancet were both threatening at first in the game, with
Williams seeking a penalty after the ball hit the slippery David Alaba on the hand.
Still, the referee Cesar Soto wasn’t interested.
Vinicius Junior’s dominating form of late Madrid’s biggest threat was from the other side via
Rodrygo.
The first warning was when Kroos hit the ball to the Brazilian who threw the ball inside to
Benzema as the forward’s arcing shot flew wide of Unai Simon’s post.
The opener followed the same route, although it started with Thibaut Courtois, who could
play with Toni Kroos.
Then, with pressure on her, Kroos was able to find Casemiro.
The ball was shuffled through Modric and into the left.
Rodrygo was able to get through two Athletic defenses who were afraid to take on
opponents within the box.
When Dani Garcia slid to block the ball, the ball was already in play, Rodrygo toeing the ball
into Modric, who kicked the ball once into the corner.
At seven minutes in the first period, it was two minutes later after Yeray Alvarez stopped
Benzema”s shot by controlling him with his stretched right hand.
The referee inspected the camera and then gave the penalty that Benzema shot right.
Hope for Athletic did not come until late, and briefly, at the 87th minute in the 87th minute,
Militao was dismissed for blocking a Raul Garcia goal-bound shot, and Athletic received an
extra.
However, Raul Garcia missed his strike down the middle was secured with the left of
Courtois.
