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Defending champions Real Madrid were outclassed by Barcelona in the 2023 Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday (15 January), succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at the King Fahd International Stadium.
Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri found the back of the net for Barcelona, while Karim Benzema scored Los Blancos’ consolation goal. Sunday’s victory in Saudi Arabia took Barcelona to their first trophy under manager Xavi.
The Whites endured a nervy start to the game, with their bitterest rivals enjoying a lot of possession in dangerous areas. The first chance of the game understandably fell to Xavi’s men. Receiving the ball from Alex Balde, Gavi delivered a sumptuous cross for Lewandowski. The Poland international went for goal with a cheeky flick, which narrowly sailed over the crossbar.
A couple of minutes later, Lewandowski collected a loose ball outside the penalty area and went for Real Madrid’s goal with a low, powerful drive. Los Blancos keeper Thibaut Courtois made a sharp, instinctive save to tip the Pole’s effort onto the post. Balde latched on to the rebound but failed to keep his attempt on target.
Madrid created their first goalscoring opportunity in the 18th minute. Left-back Ferland Mendy dashed down the left flank and floated an excellent cross into the Barcelona box. Benzema connected with the delivery at the back post but failed to direct it on target.
In the 33rd minute, Barcelona got their noses in front, courtesy of their young central midfielder Gavi. Played through on goal by Lewandowski’s perfectly-weighted pass, Gavi applied a sumptuous finish from 10 yards out.
Just before the break, Gavi turned provider, returning the favor to Lewandowski with a slide-rule cross from the left wing. The former Bayern Munich ace made no mistake tapping home from point-blank range.
In the 51st and 54th minutes, Courtois stopped Ousmane Dembele and Lewandowski, respectively, from adding to the tally. Unfortunately, for the Belgian goalkeeper, Barcelona were not quite done yet.
In the 69th minute, Lewandowski fed Gavi down the left flank and the midfielder comfortably found his partner-in-crime Pedri at the far post with a clever offload. Pedri, unmarked, directed the ball calmly past Courtois.
Real Madrid scored a consolation goal through skipper Benzema in the 93rd minute. Having seen his first-time effort saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the Frenchman turned in the rebound with a tidy finish.
It was an embarrassing display by Real Madrid, and they were lucky to escape with a respectable 3-1 scoreline. Here are five Madrid players who should have done a lot better in front of their greatest adversaries on Sunday:
#5 Vinicius Junior
If afforded space, Vinicius Junior can take even the most technically sound teams apart. Xavi made sure the Brazilian livewire had none of it on the left flank on Sunday. Without enough space and support, Vinicius Junior failed to emerge as a threat. He lost possession cheaply, most of his dribbles did not come off, and he failed to dispatch even a single shot over the course of the game.
Against the Blaugrana, Vinicius Junior failed to play any key passes, lost possession 22 times, lost 11 ground duels, and committed three fouls. He also failed to pull off three of his five attempted dribbles and misplaced his only attempted cross.
#4 Antonio Rudiger
In his Chelsea days, Antonio Rudiger impressed onlookers with his offensive contributions and ability to thrive under pressure. Last night, in David Alaba’s absence, Rudiger had the perfect opportunity to prove his mettle to his new employers. Unfortunately, for the All Whites, their summer recruit failed miserably to do so.
Rudiger crumpled under pressure time and time again, playing sloppy passes, one of which led to Barcelona’s opening goal; and struggled to spray accurate long balls from deep as well.
On Sunday night, Rudiger misplaced two of his three attempted long balls, lost two duels, ceded possession eight times, and dribbled past once.
#3 Luka Modric
Luka Modric was way below his imperious self against the Catalans. He was a passenger for most of the match, not forcing his case and staying content with unimaginative sideward passes. Overall, the veteran midfielder failed to cope with the exuberance and creativity of Barcelona’s midfield trio.
In the Spanish Super Cup final, Modric failed to make any key passes. He misplaced his only attempted cross, could not pull off his only attempted dribble, and lost possession seven times. Overall, it was a night to forget the Croatian legend.
#2 Daniel Carvajal
Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal was a bystander against Barca, failing to stop them from marauding his wing. Alex Balde tormented Carvajal with his pace all night long, going past him time and time again without breaking a sweat. Carvajal was also uninventive and wasteful going forward and did not provide support to Madrid’s cornered attackers when they needed it.
At the King Fahd International Stadium, Carvajal misplaced five attempted long balls, lost five of seven duels, lost possession 12 times, and could not complete a dribble (two attempts).
#1 Toni Kroos
Deployed in a single pivot role, Toni Kroos failed to cope with Barca’s intensity. The Real Madrid maestro was slow to react at times, lost Pedri for Barca’s third goal, and never looked like doing any damage with his trademark long balls from deep.
Before being hooked in the 72nd minute, Kroos misplaced three crosses and two long balls. Additionally, the German lost three of four ground duels, lost possession eight times, and dribbled past twice.
