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Ten-man Real Madrid overcame Athletic Bilbao to win the 2022 Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. A goal from Luka Modric and a penalty from Karim Benzema were enough for Los Blancos to win the competition for the 12th time.
Modric opened the scoring late in the opening stanza with a sublime goal after being teed up by Rodrygo. A handball from Yeray Alvarez allowed Benzema to double Madrid's advantage from the spot in the 52nd minute.
Los Leones were second best for much of the game. However, they had an opportunity from 12 yards after Eder Militao's handball, which also got the Brazilian sent off following a VAR review.
However, Raul Garcia's poor attempt was cleared away by Thibaut Courtois. That denied Bilbao a consolation strike, and ended their hopes of back-to-back Supercup titles.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Real Madrid:
Thibaut Courtois - 8/10
The Real Madrid custodian was confident between the sticks, and made an incredible penalty save late on to preserve his team's clean sheet.
Lucas Vazquez - 6.5/10
The Spaniard ran up the pitch with great energy and purpose, but the end product was lacking in his game.
Eder Militao - 6/10
He frustrated Bilbao with his excellent reading of the game, making seven clearances. However, his evening turned sour following a red card for a handball inside the box, with Bilbao getting a penalty for the infraction.
David Alaba - 7/10
Inaki Williams got the better of him early on, but the Austrian found his feet after that.
Ferland Mendy - 6.5/10
The Frenchman was solid defensively, but once again left a lot to be desired going forward. He did not lay a single cross in the game.
Luka Modric - 9/10
Graceful and effortless as ever, Modric dripped quality in every piece of action. He also put Real Madrid ahead with a sublime goal. Who'd believe he's 36?
Casemiro - 7/10
The Brazilian provided excellent cover for the back four, and looked tidy in possession. He also made four clearances on the night.
Toni Kroos - 7.5/10
He was central to everything good stemming from Real Madrid. The German kept everything ticking for his team, delivering a Man-of-the-Match performance.
Rodrygo - 7.5/10
The youngster was a livewire for much of the game, buzzing around Bilbao's defence and never giving them a moment's rest. Rodrygo also put the ball on a plate for Modric to score Los Blancos' opener.
Karim Benzema - 8/10
The Frenchman was pivotal in building up attacks, clinically dispatching a penalty in the second half, which confirmed Los Blancos' win.
Vinicius Junior - 5.5/10
The in-form winger was uncharacteristically poor on the night. He looked well off the pace, and struggled to conjure his usual attacking threat.
Ratings of Real Madrid substitutes against Athletic Bilbao
Federico Valverde - 6/10
The Uruguayan fought hard for the ball, preventing Bilbao from making a late surge.
Marcelo - N/A
Marcelo didn't have enough time to pull off anything notable. However, he joined Paco Gento (23) as the joint-most decorated player in Los Blancos' history.
Nacho - N/A
The game was almost up by the time the Spaniard was subbed on against Bilbao in Riyadh.
