Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid edged city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a closely fought Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, booking a mouth-watering Clasico final against Barcelona.
Goals from Fede Valverde and Rodrygo Goes secured a fifth straight win in all competitions for Los Blancos, while Alexander Sorloth’s late response proved insufficient for Diego Simeone’s side in Jeddah.
Alonso, who had faced mounting pressure following a spell of inconsistent results towards the end of 2025, has seen his team gradually regain momentum. The Spaniard had already enjoyed an early high point by defeating Barcelona in his first Clasico in October, before Madrid’s form dipped.
With Kylian Mbappe sidelined as he continues his recovery from a knee sprain, Alonso once again trusted young striker Gonzalo Garcia to lead the line after his hat-trick against Real Betis at the weekend.
Atletico, who had thrashed Madrid 5-2 in their La Liga derby meeting in September, found this contest far more balanced. However, Real struck almost immediately, taking the lead just two minutes in when Valverde unleashed a thunderous free-kick that tore through a poorly set wall and flew past Jan Oblak, despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it.
Valverde celebrated passionately, slapping his head in relief and joy after scoring his first goal of what has been a challenging season. The early breakthrough allowed Madrid to sit deeper and absorb pressure, while looking to exploit Atletico on the counter.
Oblak was called into action to deny Rodrygo after the Brazilian drifted in from the right, but Atletico began to grow into the game and fashioned several chances before the break. Thibaut Courtois produced fine saves to deny Sorloth’s header and Julian Alvarez, while Sorloth also squandered a close-range opportunity from Conor Gallagher’s cross.
Rodrygo doubled Madrid’s advantage in the 55th minute, continuing his impressive run of form by scoring his third goal in five games. The winger surged through the heart of Atletico’s defence before calmly slotting past Oblak.
Atletico responded three minutes later when Sorloth finally found the net, powering in a header from Giuliano Simeone’s cross after outmuscling Raul Asencio.
Simeone’s men pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages, with Courtois producing a superb acrobatic save to deny Antoine Griezmann, while Marcos Llorente curled narrowly wide. Julian Alvarez also flashed a late effort across the face of goal in stoppage time, but Madrid held firm.
The victory sets up a high-stakes final against Barcelona on Sunday at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, after the Catalans demolished Athletic Bilbao 5-0 in the other semi-final.
