David Alaba and Karim Benzema scored in either half to give Real Madrid a 2-0 win over Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. Los Blancos won the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki, the fifth in their history.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: Carlo Ancelotti named the same line-up that beat Liverpool 1-0 in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League final a couple of months ago for their Super Cup clash against Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
New signings Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni made the bench while Karim Benzema led the line in a lopsided front-three with Vinicius Jr on one side and Federico Valverde on the other.
Frankfurt created the first big chance of the match, a rarity in an otherwise one-sided contest. Striker Rafael Santos Borre dropped deep to receive the ball before releasing Daichi Kamada with an outside-of-the-boot through pass, which the Japan international collected in his stride but couldn’t guide past Thibaut Courtois.
At the other end, a quick counter saw Real Madrid’s frontline combine to almost deadly effect. Valverde squared the ball to Benzema after breaking at pace from the right, which the Frenchman subsequently flicked toward Vinicius, whose shot was miraculously kept out of goal by defender Tuta.
Los Blancos broke the deadlock in the 37th minute – seconds after Kevin Trapp had made a low stop to keep Vinicius’s shot from creeping inside the far post. From the subsequent corner, a minor defensive lapse allowed Casemiro to head the ball into the path of Alaba, who tapped it into an empty net.
Real Madrid came close thrice to adding to their lead, with the opportunities split on either side of the interval. Benzema missed a glorious chance from close range in the 41st minute, Trapp denied Vinicius again in the 56th, and Casemiro rattled the crossbar six minutes later.
Ancelotti’s men sealed the win in the 65th minute, Benzema, again, the difference maker. The Frenchman collected the ball on the edge of the box from Vinicius and guided it past Trapp with a powerful side-foot shot, ensuring that a fifth Super Cup was coming to Madrid.
