After two months as FC Barcelona coach, Xavi impatiently awaited his very first Clasico to gauge himself and finally know the heights of such a meeting from the sidelines. The 41-year-old technician has been served. At the end of an exceptional match, which was played in front of 30,000 spectators at the King Abdallah stadium in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Real Madrid defeated FC Barcelona in extra time (3-2 ap) and joined the final of the Spanish Supercup where he will face Athletic Bilbao or Atlético de Madrid, who challenge each other on Thursday (8 p.m.).
To get rid of an enterprising Barça who has never let go, Real Madrid had to fight. Leaders of La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti’s players knew they were favorites when they approached this semi-final and also knew that they could count on their infernal duo Vinicius-Karim Benzema. This was the case for a good part of the meeting, but it was another duo, Rodrygo-Federico Valverde, with the pass from the first to the goal of the second, who offered the victory and qualification on a counterattack in the first period of extra time (98th).
Before this release and these last minutes spent containing insistent Blaugranas, like the double save by Thibaut Courtois (101st), this match had witnessed reactions of pride from Barça. Ansu Fati’s equalizer a few minutes before the end of regulation time (84th), for his first match and his first goal since November 6, seemed to have given Barcelona a psychological advantage. It has not happened.
Goal for Real Madrid.
Federico Valverde gives the advantage to his team.
The match live https://t.co/sH0KNC8OvK #teamFOOT #BARMAD #Clasico pic.twitter.com/9fK0UTt9tW
– the L’Équipe channel (@lachainelequipe) January 12, 2022
Resumed twice in this meeting, Carlo Ancelotti’s players have never sank into defeatism. The opening of the score of Vinicius, on an action where Benzema will have recovered the ball then offered the offering to the Brazilian (25th), launched Real perfectly. It was before Barça came back for the first time thanks to a very lucky goal from Luuk de Jong (41st). Decisive passer on the first goal of his team, “KB9” then put Real in front of the score (72nd) when he had just found the post of Marc-André Ter Stegen, then the gloves of the German goalkeeper, on two strikes consecutive (69th, 72nd).
Decisive, Benzema will not have been on Madrid’s third goal. But the French, slightly affected in the shoulder in extra time, was once again the strong man of Real. In the other camp, another tricolor stood out. The most moving offensive player on Barça’s side, Ousmane Dembélé is behind De Jong’s goal and his performance in this Clasico should encourage his leaders to try everything to convince him to sign a new contract, his ending in June next.
1 + 1 – Karim Benzema has both scored and assisted in the same game against Barcelona for the first time in his @realmadriden career in all comps (38 appearances), becoming the first Real Madrid player to do so in #ElClasico since Sergio Ramos in May 2009. Great. pic.twitter.com/fiIMsrJayS
– OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 12, 2022
With this 100th victory in a Clasico, after a sublime match from start to finish, Real Madrid joined the final of this Spanish Supercup. The competition, organized in the form of a Final Four which brings together the last two finalists of the Spanish Cup and the first two of the last Spanish championship, is played for the second time in Saudi Arabia, after 2020. The second semi-final will take place Thursday evening, between Athletic Bilbao and Atlético de Madrid. Real Madrid will face the winner of this meeting on Sunday evening, in the final.