Defeat in Spanish Super Cup final

Defeat in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The match started at a frenetic pace with chances galore. The first two were for Barcelona with a shot by Lamine Yamal and a header by Raphinha that forced Courtois into two good stops. Our team’s response was as immediate as it was forceful. Mbappé received the ball with plenty of space in front of him and drove into the box, where he danced past Balde with a fine dribble and slotted past Szczesny.

Only five minutes were on the clock and Real Madrid had already taken the lead, but Lamine Yamal equalised midway through the first half after a solo run. Ancelotti‘s side came close to taking the lead again in the 24th minute. Rodrygo swung in the corner and Tchouameni’s header forced Szczesny into a fine save. The game was a constant back and forth and on 35 minutes referee Gil Manzano blew for a penalty against Camavinga for a foul on Gavi at the behest of the VAR. Lewandowski converted.

It was further complicated by Raphinha converting with a deader from Koundé-s long pass to make it 1-3. And before half-time, Balde made it 1-4 with a counter-attack. Madrid could have made it 2-4 after the break when Rodrygo’s volley hit the crossbar, but Raphinha made it 1-5. In the 56th minute, Szczesny was sent off following a VAR review for bringing down Mbappé on the edge of the box when he had already gone past him. Rodrygo took the free-kick and beat Iñaki Peña to make it 2-5 which was how the game ended.