- Mar 4, 2024
- Dec 21, 2023
Champions League winners, Real Madrid hammered Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on Wednesday (11 August 2022) to win the UEFA Super Cup for a record-equalling fifth time. Thus, they started off their season with a trophy. David Alaba scored the first goal and another from Karim Benzema in the 65th minute that catapulted him to second on Real’s all-time scoring list with 324 goals, clinching the title for the Spaniards.
Europa League winners, Eintracht played good football in the first half and had chances to score. But, they were eventually outplayed by the Spaniards. The win also means Carlo Ancelotti becomes the first coach to lift the trophy four times. “Eintracht were very closed and we found it difficult to find our rhythm, but we did it well then,” the Real Madrid coach said. “It’s difficult at the beginning of the season to be in top form but we now have won to start the season well.”
The Italian had special praise for captain Benzema, last season’s top scorer in the Champions League. “He’s a very important player, a team leader,” he said. “If we’re here it’s largely due to his merits, he scored a lot of goals, he finished the season well, he scored a goal today and now he’s going for the Ballon d’Or award,” said Ancelotti.
Eintracht was without their Trump Card Filip Kostic who is close to switching to Juventus. But they looked in better control than their 6-1 loss to Bayern Munich last week. They got their first opportunity in the game when Daichi Kamada broke clear. But he could not beat Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois with his low drive in the 14th minute.
Real counterattacked three minutes later but Tuta cleared Vinicius Jr’s effort on the line. Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp did well to palm another Vinicius Jr effort wide. The keeper, however, misjudged a cross in the 37th minute. He was well out of position when Casemiro headed on for Alaba, and the Austrian tapped in from close range for the lead. Real were on good track after the break, forcing another good save from Trapp in the 55th. He knocked away a deflected Vinicius Jr shot before Casemiro rattled the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box two minutes later.