Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet once again in the Spanish Super Cup final, renewing one of football’s greatest rivalries. The two giants have already faced each other three times in Super Cup finals, with Barcelona emerging victorious on two occasions. This year, Real Madrid earned their place by defeating Atlético Madrid 2–1 in the semi-final at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Xabi Alonso’s side now stands one win away from lifting their 14th Spanish Super Cup, while Barcelona will be chasing a record-extending 15th title. The final, scheduled for next Sunday, will mark the first El Clásico of the year.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕,” 𝒂 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏.
Early Brilliance and Late Resistance Seal Victory
Real Madrid made a dream start, taking the lead inside two minutes. Federico Valverde unleashed a stunning long-range free kick after Jude Bellingham was fouled, leaving Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance.
Rodrygo doubled Real’s advantage ten minutes into the second half with a moment of individual brilliance, controlling Valverde’s pass before calmly finishing past Oblak. Atlético responded swiftly, as Alexander Sørloth pulled one back three minutes later with a close-range effort from Giuliano Simeone’s cross.
Despite sustained pressure from Diego Simeone’s men, Real Madrid held firm. Thibaut Courtois produced a series of crucial saves, denying efforts from Álex Baena and Sørloth, while Atlético missed several late chances to force extra time.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍,” 𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
Mbappé Absence, Touchline Drama and Final Push
Kylian Mbappé missed the trip to Saudi Arabia due to a knee injury, though reports suggest he could rejoin the squad before the final. Gonzalo García, who replaced him in the team, impressed after scoring a hat-trick in the previous match against Real Betis.
The semi-final also saw heated moments on the touchline, with Vinícius Jr and Diego Simeone both receiving yellow cards following a brief exchange. Atlético pushed until the final whistle, with late efforts from Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente, and Julián Álvarez, but failed to find the equaliser.
Real Madrid ultimately managed the closing stages well, securing a hard-fought derby victory and setting up a blockbuster final against Barcelona.
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