Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and won the Spanish Super Cup. The goals for "Los Blancos" were scored by Luka Modric before the break and Karim Benzema in the second half.
87 minutes were showing on the scoreboard when Eder's Militao received his second yellow card and was sent off. However, Raul Garcia missed from the penalty spot and the Basque hopes were dashed.
It is interesting to note that the runner-up from last season and the one who lost the final for the King's Cup got into a dispute for the trophy in Riyadh. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid - the winner of the Cup and the champion of Spain - were eliminated in the semifinals.
The first shot on one of the two doors was made by Tony Kroos in the 10th minute, but it was blocked. In the 18th minute Karim Benzema shot dangerously from the edge of the penalty area. Unai Simon managed to turn into a corner with the last effort.
Madrid continued to attack and control the ball more. In the 27th minute Simon had to intervene again after a shot by Kazemiro. Ferlan Mendy shot with his head in the ensuing corner kick, but the Athletic guard was careful and caught.
In the 38th minute, Real took the lead in the result after a valuable counterattack. Rodrigo was sent off. He returned to Modric. The Croatian national team shot with one touch and left no chances for Simon - 0: 1.
At the beginning of the second half, Real struck a second blow to their opponent's ambitions. Benzema's shot bounced off Jeray Alvarez's hand. The situation was reviewed by the VAR, after which the chief judge awarded a penalty. It was the Frenchman who took on the performance. He scored and doubled the lead of Sofia.
A quarter of an hour before the regular time, Raul Garcia intercepted a cross with his head, but sent the ball just above the crossbar.
In the 84th minute Athletic received the right to take a penalty. Garcia intercepted a header in the penalty area. The ball bounced in the hand of Eder Militao and left the field. A corner was initially awarded, but after a VAR examination, the referee showed a direct red card to the defender and pointed to the white dot. Garcia stood behind the ball, but his shot in the center of the door was saved by a foot from Thibaut Courtois.
This omission totally discouraged the "lions" who accepted the defeat and found no more strength to resist. Until the end, the result remained unchanged and Carlo Ancelotti's Real grabbed the trophy, which is the first since the return of the Italian.
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