Madrid, Jan 10: Real Madrid booked a place in the Spanish Super Cup final with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in Jeddah, setting up a high-stakes clasico against Barcelona on Sunday.The win came without star forward Kylian MbappƩ, who continues to recover from a knee sprain.
Federico Valverde, deployed at right-back due to Madridās mounting injury woes, opened the scoring within two minutes, drilling a free kick past Jan Oblak. Villarreal loanee Rodrygo doubled the lead in the 55th minute after Valverde sliced through Atleticoās defence with an incisive pass, leaving the Brazilian to slot home confidently.
Alexander Sorloth struck back moments later with a powerful header from Giuliano Simeoneās cross, setting up a tense final half-hour. Atletico pushed hard for the equaliser, but Thibaut Courtois denied both Sorloth and Alex Baena with sharp stops to preserve Madridās lead.
Valverde admitted the early drought weighed on him. āAfter so many games without scoring, today was a great day to find the net again and for the team to win,ā he said, stressing the need to stay focused for the final.
The match also saw Atletico captain Koke ResurrecciĆ³n make derby history, appearing against Madrid for the 44th time ā surpassing former Real defender Sergio Ramos. But the milestone offered little consolation. āIt hurts because we wanted to be in the final,ā Koke said. āWe had chances, but the ball wouldnāt go in.ā
Madridās victory takes them into a rematch of last yearās final, where Barcelona thumped them 5-2 to lift the title. Barcelona secured passage with a commanding 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in Wednesdayās semifinal.
MbappƩ Racing Against Time
Madrid manager Xabi Alonso confirmed MbappĆ© will travel to Saudi Arabia and may feature in Sundayās showpiece, though he provided no guarantee the leagueās top scorer will be fit.
āHeās much better, heās been training and heās feeling good,ā Alonso said of MbappĆ©, who has missed two games with a left knee sprain. His return would provide a significant boost as Madrid attempt to halt their recent dip and reclaim momentum against an in-form Barcelona.
The timing could be decisive. Madrid edged Barcelona 2-1 in Octoberās league meeting, courtesy of MbappĆ© and Jude Bellingham, but since then Barcelona have surged to the La Liga summit while questions linger over Alonsoās long-term plans.