"Biggest club in the world for a reason!", "Brahim >>> Ferran" - Fans on X react as Real Madrid produce late comeback to defeat Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 5-3 in the semifinal of the Supercopa de Espana in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, January 10. It took a late comeback, deep in extra time, to secure the win for Los Blancos and fans took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to react.
Atleti drew first blood in the sixth minute as Mario Hermoso rose above the Los Blancos defense to power in a header from an Antoine Griezmann corner. However, Real Madrid responded quickly with the equalizer from a corner as well. Luka Modric provided the delivery, and Antonio Rudiger placed his headed effort into the net to make it 1-1 in the 20th minute.
Real Madrid took the lead nine minutes later, following an impressive team move. Dani Caravajal provided the assist for Ferland Mendy, who was in the right position to beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak and put Los Blancos ahead. Atletico responded in the 37th minute, as Griezmann scored a spectacular solo effort, stunning goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The game's fifth goal came in the 78th minute as first-half goalscorer Rudiger put the ball into his own net. However, Los Blancos refused to back down as Dani Carvajal equalized to make the score 3-3 in the 85th minute.
The game was forced into extra time and Real Madrid took the lead for the second time with 116 minutes on the clock. Joselu's header might not have been the best, but it was enough to bounce against Atletico defender Stefan Savic, who inadvertently put the ball in the back of his own net. The final nail in the coffin came as Brahim Diaz scored Real Madrid's fifth goal in the final minute of extra time.
Fans took to social media to react to the game, which had been dramatic from start to finish, as Los Blancos catapulted themselves into the final. One fan said:
"Biggest club in the world for a reason!"
Another fan compared Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz to other young stars from La Lig:
"Brahim >>> Ferran, Yamal, Joao Felix, Raphinha"
Here is a selection of their tweets:
Real Madrid set for Spanish Super Cup final
Real Madrid have booked their place in the final of the Supercopa de Espana after a hard-fought win over local rivals Atletico Madrid.
They will face either Osasuna or Barcelona, who will go head-to-head in the second semifinal on Thursday, January 11, at the Al-Awwal Stadium. Barcelona will be the favorites heading into the encounter but have had been in patchy form lately.
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will face each other in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 on Thursday, January 18. Diego Simeone will demand a better performance from his team to exact revenge against Los Blancos.