Without the flu-stricken Luka Modrić and the previously injured Éder Militão and Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid fielded their strongest available lineup against Mallorca in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, held in Saudi Arabia. Despite the seemingly dominant 3-0 result and an astonishing 28 shots on goal, the match was far from easy for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, as they struggled against Jagoba Arrasate’s well-organized side. Unlike the 1-1 draw in their league encounter, Madrid managed to find a way to victory this time, booking their place in the final on Sunday against Barcelona. While neither Santiago Bernabéu nor Camp Nou likely places immense importance on the Super Cup trophy amidst a heated La Liga title race, the rivalry between the two clubs guarantees that both will give their best in the final.This was the most chaotic goal you’ll ever see lmao. Jude Bellingham Goal !!!!!pic.twitter.com/SNFJUDQTfk https://t.co/VztRcBqBgm— Preeti (@MadridPreeti) January 9, 2025 Barcelona will approach the game in high spirits, especially with Hansi Flick able to call on newly registered Dani Olmo (along with the less prominent Pau Víctor). In contrast, Carlo Ancelotti will anxiously await medical reports regarding Aurélien Tchouaméni’s injury. The French international was forced off in the 55th minute, shortly before Jude Bellingham scored the game’s opening goal. The other two goals followed only during stoppage time. Real Madrid was fortunate to break the deadlock in the 63rd minute. The sequence began when Rodrygo retained possession after a handball went unnoticed, followed by his shot striking the post and Dominik Greif saving a close-range attempt by Kylian Mbappé. It wasn’t until the third effort that the ball found its way into Mallorca’s net, with Bellingham displaying clever composure to wait for the Slovak goalkeeper to commit before slotting the ball through his legs.El autogol del Mallorca para el 2-0 del Real Madrid #Supercopa pic.twitter.com/atFMnYdtoc— Gol al 90⚽️ (@golal90fc) January 9, 2025 From that moment on, it was clear that victory would belong to Real Madrid, who played in Jeddah as if on home turf, cheered on from the stands by their former star striker Karim Benzema. Despite starting with two forwards, Cyle Larin and Vedat Muriqi, Mallorca posed a threat exclusively through counterattacks. They managed a few decent moves in the first half, but the Canadian striker failed to capitalize on them. In the first half alone, Real Madrid registered 15 shots toward Mallorca’s goal, though only one in three was on target. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois remained largely unchallenged for the entire 90 minutes and stoppage time.RODRYGO GOES!!!REAL MADRID 3-0 MALLORCA pic.twitter.com/vjMLZlzPfd— Bankole (@bankysux01) January 9, 2025 Bellingham’s goal eased the mounting pressure on Carlo Ancelotti’s players, but the comfortable victory was only sealed during injury time. In the third minute of added time, Brahim Díaz delivered a sharp pass to Kylian Mbappé, which Martin Valjent awkwardly deflected into his own net, past his compatriot and goalkeeper Dominik Greif. Two minutes later, Rodrygo found himself unmarked in Mallorca’s six-yard box and easily converted Lucas Vázquez’s cross to wrap up the scoring.SPAIN SUPER CUPSemifinalsWednesdayAth.Bilbao – Barcelona 0-2 (0-1)/Gavi 17, Yamal 52/ThursdayReal Madrid – Mallorca 3-0 (0-0)/Bellingham 63, Valjent (og) 90+2, Rodrygo 90+5/
