Real Madrid clashed heads with Barcelona at the King Fahd Stadium earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a positive result in the Spanish Super Cup. Los Blancos made a good start to the game and took the lead in the 25th minute courtesy of Vinicius Junior’s excellent finish. However, Barca equalised via Luuk de Jong’s fortunate goal just 16 minutes later as both sides went into the half-time break with a 1-1 scoreline.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men pushed on in search of the lead in the second half and finally managed to get themselves ahead in the 72nd minute when Karim Benzema found the back of the net from close range. However, Ansu Fati equalised for Barca with a good header just ten minutes later to take the game to extra-time.
Federico Valverde ended up netting the winning goal in the 98th minute as Los Blancos secured a hard-fought 3-2 win after extra-time.
Let’s take a look at how each Real Madrid player performed during the match against Barca.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
The Belgian keeper made a few decent saves in the latter stages of the game and did enough to restrict Barca from scoring more than twice during the 120 minutes.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 5.5/10
He struggled to cope with Ousmane Dembele’s pace and had a tough game at the back.
CB: Eder Militao – 5/10
Militao was unfortunate to see the ball get deflected off de Jong into the Madrid net in the lead to Barca’s first goal. He could have done better to prevent Fati’s header as well.
CB: Nacho – 5/10
He produced a lackluster display on the defensive end of the field and would be relieved that his team got through the tie with the win in the end.
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LB: Ferland Mendy – 5/10
Mendy had some bright moments in the game but was far from convincing in the final third.
CM: Luka Modric – 7/10
Modric made a few excellent runs with the ball and was quite productive with the ball at his feet.
CM: Casemiro – 6/10
The Brazilian talent tried his best to protect his backline but will be disappointed after conceding two goals in normal time.
CM: Toni Kroos – 6/10
Kroos struggled to get a foothold in the game and produced an uneventful display at the centre of the park.
RW: Marco Asensio – 6/10
He got himself into some dangerous positions but lacked quality in the final third.
ST: Karim Benzema – 8/10
The French centre-forward was responsible for building up Vinicius Junior’s goal. He went on to score himself in the 72nd minute.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 8/10
The Brazilian speedster gave Los Blancos the lead with a good strike in the 25th minute. He also caused a lot of problems for Dani Alves out on the wide areas.
Substitutes:
RW: Rodrygo – 5/10
He missed a glorious chance to find the back of the net in the dying embers of the game.
CM: Federico Valverde – 7.5/10
Valverde made an excellent block late in the game and went on to score the winning goal in extra-time.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – 6/10
He was solid when defending inside his half.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – N/A
Camavinga didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
