Meet Alaba and Benzema
Real Madrid have been crowned winners of the UEFA Supercup for the fifth time. The Champions League winner prevailed 2-0 (1-0) in a duel with Europa League champion Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening in Helsinki. David Alaba put the Madrilenians ahead in the 37th minute before last season’s top scorer Karim Benzema (65′) scored the final.
The “Royal” follow Chelsea FC and draw level with FC Barcelona and AC Milan in titles in this competition. For Carlo Ancelotti it is his fourth triumph in the UEFA Supercup, no other coach has managed more.
Cheered on by more than 10,000 of their own fans and weakened by the cancellation of Filip Kostic, who was willing to change, Eintracht put up a brave fight, but had to admit defeat to the ripped-off title hamsters around Toni Kroos. FC Bayern, who lifted the trophy in 2013 and 2020, remains the only German winner of UEFA’s coronation game.
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As a “reward” for the big Europa League evening in Spain, coach Oliver Glasner had almost the same starting XI as in May. Christopher Lenz began for Kostic, who was absent due to his transfer negotiations. “Because the boys have done something extraordinary for Eintracht,” Glasner said shortly before kick-off at “DAZN”, and his team thanked him in the early stages with a very focused appearance.
Against the world-class selection in their first competitive game of the new season, Eintracht repeatedly felt their way out of their own half. The eye-catching Daichi Kamada forced Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to save in the 14th minute. However, Real’s response was just as tough: After an attack on Federico Valverde and Benzema, Vinicius Junior came to an end, Frankfurt’s Tuta saved the already beaten Kevin Trapp in front of the line (17th).
“Proving yourself again and again” is the big task, said sporting director Markus Krösche. It went terribly wrong in the 6-1 draw against FC Bayern on Friday, but Eintracht improved in Helsinki. Ansgar Knauff tested Courtois again from an acute angle (24th), on the defensive, the Hessians were able to limit the sphere of action of Kroos and the former world footballer Luka Modric, at least temporarily.
Vinicius Junior showed how quickly it could become dangerous with his shot, which Trapp was able to parry (37th). In the following corner, however, Alaba used the brief disorder in the Frankfurt defense to score. Then it became very difficult for Eintracht.
Madrid’s star coach Ancelotti initially played the same eleven as in the triumph in the “premier class” against Liverpool. New signing Antonio Rüdiger, Hansi Flick’s defense chief in the German national team, sat on the bench until just before the end and saw Real’s next good chance just before the break. After Kroos crossed in from the right, Benzema came to an end, but the shot from the world footballer candidate went just wide of the Frankfurt goal (41st).
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At the beginning of the second half, Eintracht tried to speed towards the Real goal. But Ancelotti’s star ensemble showed the whole routine of several big games on the European stage. The danger of running into a counterattack was huge for the Bundesliga club. Trapp saved against Vinicius Junior (55th). Glasner reacted and brought on Randal Kolo Muani for Jesper Lindström and Mario Götze for Sebastian Rode (59′). Shortly thereafter, Real’s Casemiro hit the bar (61′), before Benzema scored the second goal after assisting Vinicius Junior. It was the decision.
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