“Previously everyone looked at Ronaldo, but now Benzema will get the Golden Ball”

“Real Madrid” (Spain) – “Eintracht” (Germany) – 2:0

The European Super Cup match at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki was as predictable as possible. Real Madrid, the current top club in Europe, confidently dealt with German Eintracht Frankfurt, which won the Europa League sensationally (it even knocked out Barcelona in the Quarter-finals).

This victory is the fourth in a row for Champions League winners and the ninth in the past ten years. Interestingly, in this status it was Real Madrid who lost to Atletico Madrid five years ago in a dramatic thriller in Tallinn (2:4).

In fact, the previous three scalps of Champions League winners in the Super Cup were on Diego Simeone’s team’s account, and before that, Zenit St. Petersburg won the trophy and beautifully knocked out Englishman Manchester United (2: 1).

As for Real Madrid, defeats in trophy fights have been very rare in recent years. Since 2014, this was the 19th final of the “creamy” and they won for the 17th time! By the way, another defeat came from Atletico, only in the Spanish Cup.

As for the match in Helsinki, Carlo Ancelotti’s guards controlled the ball and the game from the first to the last. The Germans had a few chances to score the first goal (and score in general), but Thibault Courtois showed his prowess as always.

Then there was David Alaba’s post-corner goal and a discount from Casemiro, and Karim Benzema’s hit from Vinicius Junior’s pass in the second half. And so it ended – 2:0.

Real Madrid has enough time

“Victory helps motivate and inspire,” Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of the winners, said after the meeting.

Will Karim Benzema get the Ballon d’Or now? If we’re here, it’s largely because of him. Now let’s go to the Golden Ball. I don’t think anyone doubted Karim’s victory.”

“We improved compared to last game” [c «Баварией» в первом туре Бундеслиги — 1:6]But Real Madrid creates two or three big chances in any match against any opponent in the world,” said Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner. – We were beaten after a corner and could not turn our luck – Real Madrid was stronger and deserved this win. It seems to me that at times we had possession of the ball, but missed the last pass. We still need to work on this level. We moved to a 4-4-2 formation but coordination was lacking.”

Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode, who has played for both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in his career, echoed his mentor.

“Today we felt what awaits us in the current season of the Champions League. Europe’s strongest teams have high hopes for this tournament, relying on the individual skills of their players. Here you have to defend to the best of your abilities, – the midfielder emphasized. – Today we acted disciplined and There were pieces that we managed to take positions but against such a team… You see – they have enough time to score.

We played better tactically compared to the Bayern game. We played better on defense, we tried to maintain discipline.

We were able to create positions after we got the ball back, but unfortunately we couldn’t use them. It’s tough when that happens, but it was a big step up from losing to Bayern.

Real Madrid players did not hide their joy and did not even hint at some kind of saturation with wins.

“We are very excited! We started the game well, we played well both offensively and defensively. And we won another trophy! Federico Valverde said. – I was very happy with Casemiro’s game today. He slowed down all of Eintracht’s attack, closed the free zones and played great in the selection. Not surprising In a way, he was the man of the match.

I try to help the team exactly as the coach wanted. I’m working to help Carvajal, Luka Modric, Benzema strengthen all of their positions. Happens by itself – I like helping out in the field.

We started the season by winning the trophy and a start like this is always great. Now we must continue in the same spirit.

The season will be long, but the more games the better, because it means we are successful professionals in our field.

“I know I can help the team a lot and play more – not just when we’re lower than the score and have to come back,” AS winger Rodrigo said, quoting AS. – I want to be on the starting lineup and I’m working for it. If I show my best football, I will have every chance to go out from the first minutes.

Founding of Ancelotti

As Valverde noted in his comment, Casemiro was recognized as the best player at the end of the meeting and received the corresponding individual trophy.

“When the club attacked, he gave balance to Real Madrid. He consistently won the ball in a very important part of the pitch and provided support to the central defenders,” the official UEFA website explains the choice of the MVP of the match.

The Brazilian has traditionally been modest and talked more about Karim Benzema and the French forward’s upcoming Golden Ball.

“We had Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 50 goals in the past years, we looked less at Karim. But Benzema has not changed dramatically: he has always been the best “nine” in the world and now takes a step forward to score goals.

It is obvious that he will win the Golden Ball, no one will come close to him,” Casemiro said.

In fact, the selection of Casemiro as man of the match is not only accidental, but very important because it highlights the essential nature of Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.

While all top clubs and their coaches are looking for permanent reinforcements, the Italian specialist emphasizes that he is satisfied with the squad he has. And his words are inseparable from deeds.

Real Madrid became the first club in the 21st century to start the Super Cup with the same squad that reached the Champions League final!

The Casemiro – Luka Modric – Toni Kroos trio is still great and seems to be getting better as the years go by. Even if it’s tough for Real Madrid, the team still finds resources to win matches.

There are of course newcomers, but Ancelotti is slowly introducing them. Aurelien Tchuameni and Antonio Rüdiger, who arrived this summer, played some more against Eintracht, with the young Eduardo Camavinga, who joined the team a year ago and proved to be an excellent joker, played some more.

This is the strength of Ancelotti’s Real Madrid – both understandable and incomprehensible to their rivals. The Italian specialist does not pay as much attention to tactics as modern fashionistas and young coaches, but his team does not need it.

It can have the “creamy” ball and last without it. They can act tougher, like they did yesterday, or explode with quick attacks, as they did more than once in the victorious parade in the recent Champions League playoffs. But one thing does not change: “Truth” really makes excellent use of their luck at the door of others. Therefore, it only strengthens its status as the most successful and titled club in the world.