Real Madrid defeat rivals Atletico Madrid to lift Spanish Super Cup

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Real Madrid were crowned champions of the Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup) after defeating rivals Atletico Madrid via a penalty shootout in the final on Sunday.

The match was played at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A close goalless first half was followed by an equally tense second half, which saw both teams threaten to open the scoring without any luck.

Extra time was needed to try and separate the two. An end-to-end extra time erupted when Real Madrid had a man sent off with five minutes to play in the second half.

Atletico’s Alvaro Morata was on a break before he was cynically tackled from behind by Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde who received his marching orders immediately.

Both goalkeepers put in a masterclass throughout the match and were as impressive in the closing stages of the game, so a penalty shootout only seemed appropriate.

Indeed, it was Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois who made the difference in the shootout, saving a penalty to ensure his team were crowned champions.

The 2019/20 Spanish Super Cup was the 36th edition of the annual tournament.

Atletico Madrid qualified for the final after defeating favorites Barcelona 3-2 in the semi-final. Meanwhile, Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-1 to qualify.

Previous installments of the competition only included two teams, which were the top two clubs in the Spanish first division.

However, in February 2019, the Spanish football association announced a new format, changing the tournament from a single game to a semi-final followed by a final.

The new arrangement meant there would now be four teams competing: the finalists of the Copa del Rey tournament, and the remaining highest-ranked teams from the previous La Liga season.

The most successful team in the competition’s history is Barcelona with 13 titles, followed by Real Madrid with 11.