Riyadh (AP) – At the Clasico in the desert, Real Madrid had the better end for themselves in extra time.
The royal team around the German ex-national player Toni Kroos defeated FC Barcelona 3-2 (1-1) in the Spanish Supercup semifinals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, thus landing their 100th win against their rivals in a competitive game. Real moved into the final, in which the winner of Thursday’s game Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao will be the opponent on Sunday.
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 Ferran Torres was in the starting line-up after corona infection, was able to equalize with a strange 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,” ex-Bayern professional David Alaba said before the game.
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