Real Madrid 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt: 5 hits and flops as Los Blancos win fifth title in the competition | UEFA Super Cup 2022
Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in Finland to lift their fifth UEFA Super Cup title on Wednesday, August 10. Goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema were enough to give Carlo Ancelotti's side the win.
The Austrian put the Champions League winners in front in the 37th minute from a headed pass from Casemiro. Benzema then put the tie beyond doubt midway through the second half with a simple finish off Vinicius Junior's cross.
Die Adler were on the backfoot for much of the contest. Despite an improved showing from their 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich over the weekend, they couldn't keep out their Spanish counterparts.
Real Madrid won their fourth title of the year and drew level with Barcelona and AC Milan as the most successful teams in Super Cup history, with five wins.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema continued from where he left off last season, netting another vital goal to guide his team to another title. The Frenchman slammed home a cutback from Vinicius in the 65th minute and had enough power to beat Kevin Trapp and make it 2-0 for Los Blancos.
That certainly made up for his earlier miss when he fired a great chance wide off target in the first half, moments after Alaba's opener.
But more broadly, his latest exploits, and the title, must cement his name on the Ballon d'Or trophy, which he's widely touted to win this year.
With 44 goals and 12 assists from 46 games and three titles last season, Benzema was seen as the favorite, and after tonight, he's consolidated his chances further.
Flop: Jesper Lindstrom (Eintracht Frankfurt)
While there's no questioning his work ethic, Jesper Lindstrom lacked the output. He was unable to win his duels with Casemiro and couldn't string together passes either.
The Denmark international set up one good chance for Daichi Kamada early on, but it all went downhill for him thereafter. His link-up with striker Rafael Borre didn't come through as Lindstrom's movements were thwarted or his passes were cut out.
He completed just one dribble from four attempts and won just one duel from six, while being caught offside on three occasions.
Hit: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Sky's the limit for Casemiro, who had a masterclass in midfield for Real Madrid.
He came up big defensively, completing a game-high of nine tackles, while also making one block, one clearance and winning nine ground duels.
The Brazilian tracked Frankfurt's movements brilliantly and didn't allow them much space to work into and made excellent recoveries in moments of danger.
Offensively too, he had a telling impact as Casemiro assisted Alaba for the opener with a powerful header. He could've bagged a goal too but his long-range strike came off the bar.
A 'Man-of-the-Match' display.
Flop: Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
It's been a rough last few days for Kevin Trapp. He conceded six times against Bayern at the weekend and twice more tonight, both of which seemed inept on his part.
He was caught out of position for Alaba's goal, letting the ball go into the net uncontested, and should've used more force while dealing with Benzema's shot.
Trapp stretched his arm out to stop it, but it was a frail attempt despite having the ball come right at him.
Hit: David Alaba (Real Madrid)
The Austrian is having the time of his life with the Madrid side. He enjoyed a superb first year and has now started his second with a bang.
He put Real Madrid on their way to a win with a first-half opener, his fourth goal in 47 games for the club, and looked defensively solid too.
He frustrated Borre and Kolo Muani with timely interceptions, while also foiling Lindstrom's efforts to combine effectively with the former.
Alaba finished the game with three clearances, one blocked shot, four ground duels won and 91% of passes completed. A true force of nature!
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