Real Madrid will face arch-rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, following a decisive 3-0 victory over Mallorca in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute, navigating through Mallorca’s defense to score after Rodrygo had hit the post with a diving header. Kylian Mbappé’s follow-up was skillfully saved by Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif, but Bellingham capitalized on the opportunity.
Mallorca’s hopes dimmed further in injury time when defender Martin Valjent inadvertently deflected Brahim Diaz’s attempted through ball to Mbappé into his own net. Moments later, Rodrygo celebrated his 24th birthday by adding a third goal, sealing the victory for Real Madrid.
The match began with Real Madrid launching an aggressive offensive. In the opening minute, Mbappé set up Bellingham, whose shot was expertly saved by Greif. Mbappé and Rodrygo continued to threaten, with the French forward seeing his own effort blocked.
Mallorca, under coach Jagoba Arrasate, focused on a defensive strategy, aiming to contain Real Madrid’s attackers. However, their attempts to deny space to Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. led to tense exchanges, particularly between Vinícius and Mallorca right-back Pablo Maffeo.
Aurelien Tchouameni tested Greif from distance, while Bellingham continued to challenge the goalkeeper with shots from the edge of the area. Mallorca relied on Dani Rodríguez, Vedat Muriqi, and Cyle Larin for their attacking opportunities, with Larin missing a key chance when he headed wide while unmarked.
Despite their efforts, Mallorca couldn’t recover after Bellingham’s goal, and Real Madrid dominated the remainder of the match. Tensions flared late in the game when Maffeo reacted angrily to a slight slap from Bellingham, leading to a brief altercation involving young Madrid defender Raúl Asencio.
Barcelona secured their place in the final by defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on Wednesday, with goals from Gavi and Lamine Yamal. The upcoming El Clásico in the Super Cup final promises to be a thrilling encounter between Spain’s top clubs.
Reference(s):
Real Madrid defeat Mallorca to set up Super Cup final with Barcelona
cgtn.com
