Real Madrid 1-2 Athletic Bilbao: 5 Talking Points as Los Blancos lose Spanish Super Cup semifinal
A first half brace from Raul Garcia was enough to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 victory over holders Real Madrid in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup.
In a frantic start to the game, the Basque outfit did not give Los Blancos any chance to settle in and took a deserved lead in the 18th minute.
Lucas Vazquez was lost possession in a dangerous area and Dani Garcia capitalized, playing Raul Garcia in with an incisive through pass.
The former Atletico Madrid man made no mistake from close range, slotting past Thibaut Courtois to put Bilbao 1-0 up.
Raul Garcis missed a good chance soon after, flashing wide when he should have tested the Real Madrid goalkeeper. But he got on the scoresheet again seven minutes before halftime.
Vazquez was once more at fault, committing a clumsy foul on Inigo Martinez in the area. Garcia stepped up to send Courtois the wrong way from 12 yards out.
Despite being two goals ahead, Athletic Bilbao continued to mount pressure and had several chances to go three up.
Real Madrid came close through Marco Asensio - who hit the post twice - before they halved the deficit through Karim Benzema in the 73rd minute.
A long VAR check followed but the goal was given after the Frenchman was deemed to be onside. He had the ball in the back of the net again soon after, only for it to be pulled back for offside.
There was late drama at La Rosaleda, as Real Madrid cranked up the pressure. Sergio Ramos headed just wide, while a late penalty call for handball was waved off by the officials.
Ultimately, Athletic Bilbao held on for the win to give Marcelino the first victory of his managerial spell at the club. Up next for Los Leones will be the clash against Barcelona in the final at the Estadio de La Cartuga on Sunday.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Match-winner Raul Garcia steps up to down Real Madrid
Throughout his career, Raul Garcia has shown a penchant for a Jekyll and Hyde persona on the field.
The 34-year-old is as capable of performing at an optimum, as he is at making rash and costly decisions almost in equal measure.
The last time Bilbao faced Real Madrid, it was a case for the former for Garcia, as he was sent off for two bookable offenses under 13 minutes.
In Thursday's fixture, Raul Garcia brought out his best qualities to the fore and proved to be a handful for the Los Blancos defense.
In addition to his brace, the LaLiga veteran won six aerial duels, had 41 touches, and made one key pass in what was a vintage performance.
#4 Dream El Clasico scuppered
Barcelona's victory over Real Sociedad on Wednesday set the stage for a potential meeting with Real Madrid in the final.
El Clasico is unarguably the biggest club game in the world of football and every potential staging of the game is widely anticipated.
The Spanish football authorities had gone to great lengths to not put the two arch-rivals together in the draw, making El Clasico final a possibility.
With the Catalans having done their part, a victory for Real Madrid would have got the world talking about the latest instalment of El Clasico.
However, Athletic Bilbao had other ideas and put up a comprehensive display to progress to the final.