RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA), Jan 11:
After own-goals, goalkeeping blunders and a milestone by Antoine Griezmann, Real Madrid outlasted Atletico Madrid in thrilling extra time victory in the semifinal of Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Two late goals gave Madrid a 5-3 win over its rival in a match in which Griezmann surpassed Luis Aragonés as Atletico’s all-time top scorer with 174 goals. Madrid will play Sunday’s final against either Barcelona or Osasuna, who meet on Thursday in Riyadh.
“It was a back-and-forth match,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “They did well in the first half and in the second we were able to improve. Both teams played very well. It was a spectacular match, we won because we had a bit more energy in the end.”
Atletico took the lead with a header by Mario Hermoso after a cross by Griezmann six minutes into the match, but Madrid went ahead with Antonio Rüdiger scoring in the 20th and Ferland Mendy in the 29th.
Griezmann scored his milestone goal with a right-footed low shot from outside the area after using a nifty move to change directions and get past defenders in the 37th. The France forward had gone scoreless in three straight games since tying Aragonés with a pair of goals against Getafe in the Spanish league in December.
Madrid took the lead late in extra time after Atletico defender Stefan Savic found his own net while trying to intercept a cross by Carvajal in the 116th, and Brahim Díaz sealed Madrid’s win in stoppage time by hitting the open net after Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak had left his area to try to help the attack the other way. Díaz sped past Oblak near midfield to get to the ball and send it into the open net.
Díaz was shown the game’s only yellow card for taking his shirt off during the celebration. No Madrid derby has gone without a yellow card since 1974. (AP)
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