Valverde free‑kick and Rodrygo strike send Real Madrid into Supercopa final

Goal reports Real Madrid booked their place in the Supercopa de Espana final with a 2-1 victory over inter-city rivals Atletico Madrid in Jeddah on Thursday.

Federico Valverde opened the scoring with a vicious free-kick after 77 seconds, set up by a foul on Jude Bellingham 30 yards out; Valverde was deputising for Dani Carvajal as captain and right back, and his shot beat Jan Oblak despite a slight flick off Alexander Sorloth in the Atletico wall, the replay showed. Rodrygo doubled the lead in the 55th minute with a calm side-footed finish after earlier missing a chance, and Sorloth pulled one back moments later with a back-post header.

Thibaut Courtois made several important saves, including a diving stop to deny Sorloth, and Atletico shaded large spells without levelling. Vinicius Jr's 80th-minute substitution sparked a confrontation that saw him and Diego Simeone booked, Antoine Griezmann had an effort saved, and Julian Alvarez's late miss confirmed a Clasico Super Cup final as Real face Barcelona on Sunday; the report also noted Xabi Alonso's curious decision to replace both centre-backs in the 67th minute.

Key Topics

Sports, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, Supercopa De Espana