- Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona 2-3 Real Madrid (aet)
- De Jong 41, Fati 83 | Vinicius Jr 25, Benzema 72, Valverde 98
By the time this was over, it was way after midnight in Riyadh, they were barely able to walk any more let alone run, and they were 6,500km from home but Real Madrid had made it. The last ball had been caught by Thibaut Courtois and he lay on the turf, clutching their place in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, Fede Valverde’s extra-time goal having settled a match that ultimately had the winner everyone expected but did not play out as anticipated. A fun night could have gone either way, from 1-0 to 1-1, 2-1 to 2-2 and ultimately 3-2.
It went Madrid’s, the fifth goal of the night scored at the point when Barcelona seemed to have taken a hold. And although they were defeated by Valverde’s long run from his area to theirs, they had come close. Above all, they had come to look like a team again, especially once Pedri and Ansu Fati had been introduced. This looked like a proper clásico too – on the pitch at least. It had finished the way it started, Barcelona caught and Madrid taking advantage.
