RIYADH: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said his substitutes “made the difference” after his side won an incredible Spanish Super Cup 2024 semifinal 5-3 in extra time on Wednesday night in Riyadh.
Real Madrid went behind twice in the match only to show immense resilience to force an extra 30 minutes and eventually overcome a spirited performance from their city rivals.
After Mario Hermoso headed Atletico ahead after six minutes, Real went in front through goals from Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy, before a sublime leveler from Antoine Griezmann saw the first half end at 2-2. A Rudiger own goal looked to give Atletico another derby victory this season — Diego Simeone’s side won 3-1 in La Liga in September — but Dani Carvajal netted to take the game into extra time.
Ancelotti’s substitutes were the heroes, with first Joselu forcing a late own goal from Stefan Savic and then Brahim Diaz completing the 5-3 win in injury time of extra time.
The 40th edition of the historic Supercopa de Espana (Spanish Super Cup) is taking place at Al-Nassr’s Al-Awwal Park — the home of former Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo — from Jan. 10 to 14.
“This was a tight game, a tough match. The team did a really good job attacking and defending, we did a good job. It was a great effort,” Ancelotti said.
“I have full trust in my players and the substitutes really came through. They really helped make the difference. There is nothing wrong with scoring near the end. The players are young and for them, giving up is not an option.
“There’s room for improvement — we need to work on our set pieces as well as other technical aspects,” he added. “Our second goal was beautiful, I really enjoyed that. Carvajal is a great player and an amazing person with incredible charisma.”
Atletico Madrid manager Simeone may have been on the losing side, but his team played a huge part in a memorable encounter for those watching in the ground or around the world on TV.
“I am very proud of the players’ performance,” he said. “It was a tight match and maintaining our performance was tough, but we did our best to attack the goal.”
“The fans really helped us in our performance,” added Simeone. “The team’s performance was good — I am okay with the result, but development is definitely needed. I repeat, the fans’ support here was really important for us at this stage.
“This was not a revenge match, it’s just another match that ended. The competition between us is still on.”
Real Madrid will now face the winners of the other Spanish Super Cup semifinal, which takes places on Thursday night at Al-Awwal Park between Barcelona and CA Osasuna at 10 p.m. Saudi Arabia time. The final on Sunday is also at Al-Awwal Park and kicks off at 10 p.m.
