Real Madrid enters the Super Cup final after winning the derby in extra time

Joselu, together with Savic, led the meringues to a 5-3 victory against Atlético in a vibrant match played in Riyadh and which Brahim sentenced to an empty goal

MADRID, 10 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid reached the final of the Spanish Super Cup this Wednesday, which is being played in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), after beating Atlético de Madrid 5-3 thanks to two goals in extra time, first with a header from Joselu Mato who rebounded off Stefan Savic and with a counterattack on Brahim Díaz's last play into an empty goal.

On the pitch at Al-Awwal Park, Vinícius Jr. started hard on the right side of the Madrid attack. The first setback between Atlético's centre-backs arose from his run, with Savic leaving his zone to cover a spot where there were no teammates.

Vini timidly asked for a penalty for that sweep to the ground by the Montenegrin defender, but referee Alberola Rojas ruled nothing. They were the precursors to the 0-1, the work of Mario Hermoso in the 7th minute when he headed a corner with relative simplicity, due to the poor marking of Rodrygo Goes.

Rodrygo himself protested another possible penalty, in a cut to Saúl Ñíguez, making it clear that the wingers would be a headache for the Colchonera defense. On the counterattack, Atlético felt comfortable, close to 0-2 in the 19th minute with a shot wide from Álvaro Morata, having reached the far post well after a low pass from Marcos Llorente.

Jude Bellingham responded with a right hand from the front and from below, which tripped over a defender and went into a corner kick. Luka Modric bounced that ball and Antonio Rüdiger equalized with a header, in a 'déjà vu' of the previous goal since Savic had failed to mark inside the area.

Real Madrid then took control of the match, preventing Diego Pablo Simeone's players from creating danger on Kepa Arrizabalaga's goal. As a result of that white dominance, the score was 2-1 in the 29th minute, scored by Ferland Mendy following a great collective play.

Bellingham, positioned at the crown of the large area, received the ball and opened to his right for the arrival of full-back Dani Carvajal; He crossed between the legs of Samu Lino and the pass almost reached the small area, where Mendy successfully deflected it with his left boot towards the red-and-white goal, ahead of Giménez in low hours.

Both the Uruguayan and Savic are in the spotlight for their irregularity in an already criticized defensive line, for another year, under a 5-3-2 system that splits the team in demanding events. And this Wednesday in Riyadh was one of them, as will soon be the next derbies in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and on matchday 23 of LaLiga EA Sports.

Atlético lacked some nerve to connect with its forwards, so its great star emerged on his own. After making a 'wall' with Rodrigo De Paul in a three-quarter line, Antoine Griezmann advanced a few meters and with a cut he got rid of Modric and Rüdiger; Profiled on the front, the 'Little Prince' executed a powerful right hand that was adjusted to a post, a hand's breadth from the ground, and beat Kepa.

It was the 37th minute and the game had been a carousel, but just before half-time it gave Rodrygo time to almost make it 3-2. Thanks to another error by the red-and-white centre-backs, the merengue '11' missed a ball inside the area and his shot from point-blank range was caught, in two halves, by a providential Jan Oblak with his feet.

Upon returning from the locker room, Atlético warned with a steal of the ball in the offensive zone; Morata assisted Lino, who stormed in from the left wing and whose shot went just wide. In the Merengues' ranks, Rodrygo continued as the main attacking asset, especially on the right side, and Vini gradually faded away on the left.

The Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, moved pieces and introduced Toni Kroos onto the field, whistled by the stands due to his numerous criticisms of Saudi Arabia in the past. That change, having replaced Modric, improved the team and was evident in a clear chance for Carvajal, after a quick take from a free kick by Vini.

'Cholo' Simeone had also shaken up his bench, bringing on Roro Riquelme for Saúl and Nahuel Molina for Lino. The objective was to build bridges with Griezmann, who in the 77th minute threatened Kepa with a left footed shot that ended in a corner. Riquelme's freshness took effect immediately and from his boots the 2-3 was born, in a controversial action.

A cross from him from the left, on a changed foot, looked for Morata in the small area for a jump with Kepa behind him and with Rüdiger five feet in front; The merengue goalkeeper collided with the Colchonero striker, did not save and accidentally volleyed the ball with his foot, in tandem with Rüdiger, towards his own goal.

The 'sung', yes, was amended by his teammates in the 85th minute. Vini found space on the left wing, sprinted to the area and shot from below. Oblak repelled the first; Bellingham tried in the second and third instances, with two clearances by Savic and then by Hermoso on the goal line; and in the fourth, Carvajal made it 3-3, with anger.

ANOTHER BITTER EXTENSION FOR THE COLCHONEROS

In the first of the five minutes of extra time, Griezmann tested Kepa with a weak right hand at mid-height. But the gale was white and Brahim Díaz witnessed it, thanks to a dribble over Hermoso that he combined with a deflected shot that Oblak had only been able to follow with his gaze.

Extra time then awaited both teams. It was the sixth time it had happened in the last six derbies with the possibility of extra time, a classic in eliminatory matches. On the Atletico side, Ángel Correa was the ace up his sleeve, but the initiative belonged to Real Madrid due to each intervention by Eduardo Camavinga and a constantly boiling Brahim.

In the second half of extra time, and with Javi Galán strangely acting as Atlético's pivot, Ancelotti's men pressed with set pieces and tied up a rudderless opponent, also lacking firepower up front due to Griezmann's fatigue. Attentive to the gaps between the lines, Carvajal appeared at the corner of the area at the right moment.

His cross to the penalty spot was headed by Joselu, who had gained position from Savic who could only deflect the ball towards his own goal, to the bitterness of Oblak who in added time came up to finish off a corner; but he was a victim of Brahim's speed, who turned a Madrid clearance into a quick attack.

The merengue '21' controlled the ball, ran to the side and shot from very far into the empty goal. Meekly, the ball entered the goal of an Atlético team that will once again have nightmares about its capital neighbor. For its part, Real Madrid qualified to play next Sunday's final (8:00 p.m.) against FC Barcelona or CA Osasuna.

DATASHEET.

--RESULT: REAL MADRID, 5 - ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 3 (2-2, at half-time).

--ALIGNMENTS:

REAL MADRID: Kepa; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy (Camavinga, min.82); Tchouaméni (Brahim, min.82), Valverde (Güler, min.112), Modric (Kroos, min.67), Bellingham; Rodrygo (Ceballos, min.105) and Vinícius (Joselu, min.105).

ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente (Azpilicueta, min.105), Savic, Giménez, Hermoso, Lino (Molina, min.67); Koke (Galán, min.104), Saúl (Riquelme, min.67), De Paul (Witsel, min.90); Griezmann and Morata (Correa, min.91).

--GOALS:

0-1, min.7: Beautiful.

1-1, min.20: Rüdiger.

   2-1, min.29: Mendy.

   2-2, min.37: Griezmann.

2-3, min.78: Rüdiger (pp).

3-3, min.85: Carvajal.

4-3, min. 116: Savic (pp).

5-3, min.120 2: Brahim.

--REFEREE: Alberola Rojas (C. Castellano-La Mancha). He cautioned Brahim with a yellow card (min.120 3) at Real Madrid.

--STADIUM: Al-Awwal Park (Saudi Arabia), 23,932 spectators.