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Real Madrid were eliminated from the Spanish Super Cup, ending five miserable days.
They did not want to play the league game last Saturday in the snowy Pamplona. They were unable to win the game and were unable to fly back to the Spanish capital due to frost. They went straight to Malaga to face Athletic Bilbao and were defeated 2-1.
It will be Marcelino’s Athletic who will face Barcelona in Sunday’s final and not Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid.
The first half had been a reminder of how quickly things can change in football. Lucas Vázquez has been walking in the air recently, performing well on the right wing and on the right wing and with supporters asking to be offered a new contract.
Raúl García, on the other hand, was sent off after 12 minutes of Athletic Bilbao’s league game against Real Madrid last month.
But in the first half of this semifinal Raúl García scored two goals and Lucas had possibly the worst half of his career. He first played the ball from behind straight to Dani García, who slid a pass through Raúl García, who buried his shot passing Thibaut Courtois.
Lucas had already been careless with a pass from behind and with a similar error now he had helped Athletic to take the lead. At 36 minutes he helped them double their lead. He grabbed Iñigo Martínez in the penalty area and conceded a penalty that Raúl García dispatched to make it 2-0.
Lucas could have been replaced by Nacho at halftime, but the substitute replaced the injured Raphael Varane instead.
Madrid’s problems weren’t just in the back with shift star Eden Hazard doing little to get them out of trouble. Once again he had gotten off the beat and, aside from a shot saved by Unai Simon, had caused little threat to Athletic. Zidane had played the Belgian in a more central role from the start before changing his system in the quarter hour.
At the hour, Hazard made the Marco Asensio tee-up that hit the post. He had also been encouraged in the first half and was a reminder that Madrid is the master of playing poorly and continuing to get results.
In the 66th minute, Hazard came out and Vinicius entered. Modric was the second surprising change with Fede Valverde entering. Asensio continued in the same line hitting the crossbar with a shot from 30 meters.
Valverde’s impact was almost instantaneous as he crossed into Casemiro, who headed through the six-yard area where Karim Benzema swept from close range. The flag was raised and the VAR annulled the goal and Madrid came back into play.
The concerned Athletic coach, Marcelino, marked the changes and Asier Villalibre’s fresh legs ran clear to mark what would have been the third and Athletic in the final. Courtois stepped out Inspector Gadget style and, right arm extended, seized the opportunity.
Benzema had the ball back in the net but this time the offside flag had been raised correctly and the goal did not stop. Benzema was the final clash with the change of Mariano to replace the French center forward. He entered the fray immediately after Sergio Ramos had distressedly veered off. Would that be the last chance?
Iñaki Williams ran away, but Casemiro saved the day with a last-gasp challenge. Madrid lunged forward once more, but when Ramos headed wide behind a Vinicius cross, Athletic felt they would hold on.
They will face Barcleona. Real Madrid can finally return home, but they do so by failing to win the first competition of the season.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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