Real Madrid outclass Manchester United to claim European Super Cup
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Updated 08/08/2017 at 21:46 GMT
European Super Cup final, Philip II Arena – Real Madrid 2 (Casemiro 24, Isco 52) Manchester United 1 (Lukaku 62)
The Real Madrid team celebrate with UEFA Super Cup trophy after the UEFA Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Manchester United at the Philip II Arena on August 8, 2017.
Image credit: Eurosport
Real Madrid lifted the UEFA Super Cup for the fourth time as they saw off Manchester United 2-1 in humid conditions in Skopje, Macedonia.
Zinedine Zidane's Champions League winners put aside their disappointing pre-season form to deservedly triumph courtesy of Casemiro's smart first-half finish on the stretch and Isco's delicious effort seven minutes after the restart.
United target, Gareth Bale then hit the bar as Real briefly threatened to run riot before the Red Devils belatedly made a fight of it.
Romelu Lukaku missed a real sitter but the £75 million man made up for it when he tucked in a rebound to snare his first competitive goal for the club.
Jose Mourinho's Europa League winners pressed for the equaliser, but couldn't find a way through as Marcus Rashford saw their best opening well saved late on.
The defeat means Mourinho is the first manager to lose three Super Cup finals while Real are now unbeaten in international finals since 2000.
The Red Devils will look to shrug off the disappointment in time for Sunday's Premier League opener at home to West Ham while Real will turn their attention towards the first leg of the Supercopa at Barcelona.
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Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, Cristiano Ronaldo & Dani Carvajal celebrate after victory
Image credit: Reuters
TALKING POINT
United's new boys. Mourinho opted to name his trio of big money summer signings and there were generally positive signs at the end of the night. United struggled for the best part of an hour with Nemanja Matic one of their more accomplished performers overall. It was the former Chelsea man's shot that led to Lukaku's goal and he looked impressive despite being up against a classy Madrid midfield.
Lukaku had endured a tough evening up to that point and missed a real sitter that would have made that £75 million price tag feel a bit heavier. But moments later he got on the scoresheet, and netting against opposition of this ilk will have done his confidence no harm at all. Victor Lindelof clearly needs time to settle and adapt. He improved as the night wore on but struggled in the opening hour as Real dominated.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Isco (Real Madrid). Continued his fine form in 2017 with an exciting attacking display that he capped off with a bewitching one-two and neat finish to snare the winning goal. The Spaniard has plenty of admirers and with just 12 months left on his contract, this type of showing will mean he has plenty of options if he does decide to move on to pasture new.
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Isco celebrates his goal
Image credit: Getty Images
PLAYER RATINGS
REAL MADRID: Navas 7, Carvajal 8, Marcelo 7, Ramos 7, Varane 7, Casemiro 8, Kroos 7, Modric 7, Isco 8, Bale 7, Benzema 7. Subs: Lucas Vazquez 5, Asensio 5, Ronaldo n/a.
MAN UNITED: De Gea 7, Valencia 6, Darmian 6, Lindelof 6, Smalling 6, Matic 7, Herrera 6, Pogba 6, Lingard 5, Mkhitaryan 7, Lukaku 6. Subs: Rashford 6, Fellaini 6.
KEY MOMENTS
16' - REAL MADRID HIT THE BAR! Casemiro meets Kroos' left-wing corner with a bullet header that crashes back off the woodwork.
24'- GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Man United. Carvajal clips a lovely diagonal ball towards Casemiro, who ghosts in behind Lindelof to fire home on the stretch.
52'- GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Man United. Isco coolly slots into the bottom corner after exchanging a slick one-two with Bale that completely bamboozled United's defence.
54' - MAN UNITED MISS! Pogba sees his header magnificently saved by Navas, but Lukaku flashes the rebound wide from close range.
61' - REAL MADRID HIT THE BAR - AGAIN. Real tear through United on the break. Bale bursts into space on the right of the area but sees his rising shot bounce back off the crossbar.
62'- GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Man United. United pull one back! Matic's shot is spilled by Navas and this time Lukaku makes it count with a tap in.
82' - MAN UNITED CHANCE. Rashford surges through but the United forward sees his shot deflect inches wide of the far post via a crucial touch off Navas.
90+2' - REAL MADRID CHANCE. De Gea beats away Asensio's shot after Lucas had shown good footwork to cut it back to him from the right.
KEY STATS
- Real Madrid have scored in their last 66 games in all comps, the longest ever run by a team from the top 5 European leagues.
- Casemiro has scored eight goals for Real Madrid (all comps), the last two coming in his last two games, both finals.
- Isco has netted 10 goals in 2017 in all competitions, more than any other La Liga midfielder.
- Toni Kroos completed 73 of his 76 passes in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup, at least 30 more than any Man Utd player.
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