Carlo Ancelotti Thibaut Courtois David Alaba Real Betis Eder Militao Nasser Al-Attiyah Aurelien Tchouameni France Spain county Valencia Saudi Arabia Dakar Riyadh Football soccer cup Courtois Super Cup Carlo Ancelotti Thibaut Courtois David Alaba Real Betis Eder Militao Nasser Al-Attiyah Aurelien Tchouameni France Spain county Valencia Saudi Arabia Dakar Riyadh

Thibaut Courtois heroics help Madrid beat Valencia in Saudi Arabia to reach Spanish Super Cup final

arabnews.com

RIYADH: Thibaut Courtois was the hero for Real Madrid as they beat Valencia 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Riyadh on Wednesday to reach the Spanish Super Cup final.

The reigning Super Cup champions were below their best again amid a difficult start to 2023, but Courtois excelled, making crucial saves and then decisively denying Jose Gaya in the shootout.

Madrid will go on to play either Barcelona or Real Betis, who play Thursday, in Sunday’s final. La Liga champions Madrid, facing the Spanish Cup runners-up, had chances to win the game within 90 minutes but needed Courtois to make a stunning reflex save from Fran Perez in extra-time.

The Spanish Super Cup was first held in Saudi Arabia in 2020 in the current “final four” format — and will remain in the country until at least 2029, despite criticism over the hosts’ human rights record.

Related News
Real Madrid’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gives a press conference on the eve of their Spanish League football match against FC Barcelona, at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex in Valdebebas, outskirts of Madrid, on October 15, 2022. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)
MADRID: Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior’s extra-time strikes earned Real Madrid a 3-1 win over rivals Atletico Madrid on Thursday to reach the Copa del Rey semifinals.
MADRID: A dummy dressed in a Vinicius Junior shirt was hung from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground ahead of the Copa del Rey quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid on Thursday. “Madrid hates Real,” read a banner draped on the bridge close to Valdebebas overnight Wednesday. The Vinicius effigy was described as a “racist attack” and “serious threat” against the Brazilian forward by Spanish media.
Atletico Madrid’s Argentinian coach Diego Simeone gestures during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final football match between Leipzig and Atletico Madrid at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on August 13, 2020. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / POOL / AFP)
Real Madrid came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 in the Copa del Rey last 16 on Thursday thanks to a brilliant second-half performance by substitute Dani Ceballos.
MADRID: Atlético Madrid returned to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2018 by defeating second-division club Levante 2-0 on Wednesday. Marcos Llorente scored a goal and set up another by Álvaro Morata to send Atlético through to the last eight and help it rebound from two consecutive games without a win in the Spanish league. Both goals came after the interval after a poor first half by Diego Simeone’s team.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.