Real Madrid 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt - 5 talking points as goals from Alaba and Benzema seal UEFA Super Cup win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side

Real Madrid emerged triumphant in their UEFA Super Cup clash with Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday (August 10). Goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema in either half helped Carlo Ancelotti’s men register a comfortable 2-0 win and lift the title in Helsinki.

While Madrid were the better team for the most part, the German side did have a couple of chances to take an early lead. Thibaut Courtois made a superb save to deny Daichi Kamada in the 14th minute to keep the game goalless. Vinicius Junior came close to scoring the opening goal twice, but was denied by an excellent goal-line intervention from Tuta and later by Kevin Trapp.

Alaba put Madrid ahead from a corner in the 37th minute before Benzema scored in the 65th minute to seal the title for the Spanish champions.

On that note, here are five talking points from Los Blancos’ defeat of Frankfurt:

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#1. Record-equalling fifth UEFA Super Cup for Real Madrid

Real Madrid and winning UEFA competitions is a tale as old as time. They have an incredible 14 Champions League titles and at the Olympic Stadium, the Spanish giants lifted their fifth Super Cup trophy in their eighth attempt.

Their latest Super Cup triumph sees them go level with AC Milan and Barcelona for the most victories. Only Barcelona (9) have made more Super Cup appearances than Real Madrid.

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#2. Lack of rotation breeds consistency

Ancelotti’s Real Madrid plays a very disciplined and committed game, with a commendable work rate. Despite adding new players to the squad this summer, the Italian coach went with the same team that won the Spanish team its 14th Champions League title in May.

While fans and pundits have repeatedly pointed out that the lack of rotation could hurt the team, instead we see a side that’s well-drilled and tactically astute. They know how to wear down teams and control the pace of the game, as they showed in Helsinki. They held strong when Frankfurt began asserting themselves and broke the deadlock to regain control of the contest.

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#3. Carlo Ancelotti wins Super Cup for a record fourth time as the coach

Ancelotti has been one of the finest coaches football has seen over the years. He’s made his mark by winning titles in Italy, Spain, Germany and England. He made further history on Wednesday in Helsinki.

He held the record of being the first manager to win a league title in each of Europe's top five leagues and the first to win four Champions League finals. The defeat of Frankfurt made the 63-year-old the first manager to win four Super Cup finals.

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#4. New season, same old Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema has come alive for Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. After playing second fiddle for a long time, he was given the mantle of being the leader and he responded with style. He has now scored 15 goals in 12 knockout games since the start of last season.

The Frenchman scores goals aplenty, but there’s more to his game than just finding the back of the net. Off the ball, his movement is impeccable and is also a tireless runner. His goal against Frankfurt was his 324th goal for Real Madrid, making him the second top-scorer in the club’s history. He went past Raul Gonzalez (323) in 135 fewer appearances and is now only behind Ronaldo (450) on the all-time scorers' list.

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#5. Semi-Automated Offside Technology makes official debut

Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) is the latest technological innovation that aims to help referees and speed up judgments. SAOT made its official debut at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki and will feature throughout the group stages of the upcoming UEFA Champions League season. SAOT will also be in action at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which begins on November 21 in Qatar.

The SAOT uses around 10 to 12 cameras to detect 29 points on each player's body 50 times per second, with the software analyzing the data in real-time. It is supposed to perfectly calculate the moment of the pass and the position of the players to pick out offside calls.