On Wednesday, Real Madrid exercised their powers over Barcelona, winning the Supercopa de Espana semi-final (12 January). The capital club won 3-2 thanks to a goal from substitute Federico Valverde in extra time.
It was a fantastic match, with both teams’ attackers in top form. Real Madrid’s usual suspects Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr collaborated smoothly in the final third. In the 25th minute, Benzema teed up Vinicius with a superbly weighted ball for the game’s first goal.
Los Blancos dominated the early stages, but four minutes before halftime, Barcelona equalised. The goal had an element of luck, as Eder Militao failed to clear Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the left flank. Despite Thibaut Courtois’ best attempts, the subsequent effort ricocheted off Luuk de Jong and into the Real Madrid goal.
Real Madrid would strike again in the second half, with Benzema beating Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range. It wasn’t the night for defenders. The first save by the goalkeeper was intercepted by Vinicius Jr, who squared it to the striker, who rolled the ball into an empty net.
Real Madrid has now defeated their arch-rivals for the fifth time in succession. As a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad qualified for the Supercopa de Espana final.
