RIYADH: Federico Valverde scored in extra time to secure Real Madrid a 3-2 win over archrivals Barcelona in an exciting Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Real will face the winner of Thursday’s match between holders Athletic Bilbao and La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Real’s Vinicius Jr. scored on a counter-attack early in the first half, but Luuk de Jong equalised soon before halftime when Real defender Eder Militao made a mistake.
Real Madrid were heavy favourites going into the game, but struggling Barcelona gave the LaLiga leaders a run for their money.
Due to Covid-19 fears, the King Fahd Stadium was only meant to be half-full, but it seemed to be almost full of passionate spectators eager to see the first ‘Clasico’ played outside of Spain.
“We were really efficient on the counter-attack and scored three magnificent goals,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a press conference.
Real Madrid sat back calmly, attempting to build up counter-attacks for Vinicius and Benzema, but they let Barcelona get too near to their area.