Real Madrid earns thrilling 5-3 victory over Atletico to secure spot in Super Cup final

Carlo Ancelloti-led Real Madrid sealed their spot in the Spanish Super Cup final after defeating Atletico Madrid 5-3 in a thrilling Madrid derby Super Cup semi-final on Saudi Arabian soil tonight.

Atletico stole the lead six minutes into the derby from a set piece, as Antoine Griezmann’s well-taken corner kick was well dispatched by Mario Hermoso, before Antonio Rudiger similarly equalized for the Los Blancos 14 minutes after from Luka Modric’s corner.

Real, however, doubled their lead nine minutes after when Dani Carvajal’s pass into the box was flicked into the net by Ferland Mendy, before Diego Simeone’s men equalized against the run of play to see the game enter the halftime on level.

It was Griezmann who scored the first half’s last goal, as the 2018 World Cup winner got the better of Modric before beating Kepa Arrizabalaga with a clinical strike that made him Atletico Madrid’s all-time scorer with a whopping 174 goals.

Antoine Griezmann has scored more goals for Atlético Madrid than any other player in the club's 120-year history, breaking Luis Aragonés' record.

174 goals and counting. 👏 pic.twitter.com/mVBJnsFuyK

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 10, 2024

Both teams came into the second half with evident intent, but it wasn’t until the 78th minute before the half’s deadlock was broken, and it was through a Rudiger own goal, before Dani Carvajal capitalized on a scrappy defending from Atletico in the 85th minute to send the contest into extra time.

After a goalless first half of the extra time, the second half was headed for a similar outcome, but the last  four minutes erupted in a football-like plot twist, as Real Madrid, first through an own goal from Stefan Savić dented Atletico’s hope, before Brahim Diaz directed his long-range effort into an open net to set up a final fixture on Sunday with the winner between Barcelona vs Osasuna.