Soccer
At the “Clasico” in the desert, Real Madrid had the better end for themselves in extra time. The “Royal” defeated FC Barcelona 3-2 (1-1) in the Spanish Supercup semi-final on Wednesday without the ailing ÖFB star David Alaba in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and made it into the final with their 100th victory in the traditional duel . The opponent will be determined on Thursday between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
Real took the lead after 25 minutes through Vinicius Junior (25th), who overcame goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a left-footed shot. But FC Barcelona, where Ferran Torres was in the starting line-up after a coronavirus infection, was able to equalize with a strange goal before the break. Alaba’s other central defender colleague Eder Militao shot the ex-Gladbacher Luuk de Jong, from whom the ball first hit the inside post and then into the goal.
In the middle of the second half, Real seemed to be on the way to victory when striker Karim Benzema took the lead again with a flick in the 72nd minute, but 19-year-old Ansu Fati equalized with a header seven minutes before the end. In the extension, the decision was made in a pressure phase from Barcelona. The Uruguayan Federico Valverde closed a counterattack to 3-2 for Real (98.).
After the 0-1 slip against Getafe, Real was back on the road to success on Sunday with a 4-1 win over Valencia in La Liga. Alaba now missed his second “Clasico” at short notice, according to media reports, due to muscular complaints. Yusuf Demir hadn’t even taken part in Barcelona’s trip to the desert, the 18-year-old Rapid loan was canceled by the professional team and should aim to return to Vienna.
