At the Clasico in the desert, Real Madrid had the better end to themselves in extra time.
The royal team around Germany’s former international Toni Kroos defeated FC Barcelona 3-2 (1-1) in the Spanish Supercup semifinals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and advanced to the final, in which the winner of Thursday’s game Atlético Madrid against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday will be the opponent.
Real took the lead after 25 minutes through Vinicius Junior (25th), who overcame the German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen with a left-footed shot. But FC Barcelona, where Ferrán Torres was in the starting line-up after the corona infection, was able to equalize with a curious goal before the break.
Real defender Eder Militao shot the ex-Gladbacher Luuk de Jong, from whom the ball first hit the inside post and then into the goal.
In the middle of the second half, Real seemed already on the way to victory when striker Karim Benzema took the lead again with a flick in the 72nd minute, but 19-year-old Ansu Fati equalized with a header seven minutes before the end. In the extension, the decision was made in a pressure phase from Barcelona. The Uruguayan Federico Valverde closed a counterattack to 3-2 for Real (98.).
After the 0-1 slip against Getafe, Real was back on the road to success on Sunday with a 4-1 win over Valencia in La Liga. “It was important for us to win the next league game again after losing in Getafe. Our goal is clear, we want to be at the top at the end of the season,” said ex-Bayern professional David Alaba before the game.
Real Madrid have now won the last five games with FC Barcelona.
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