Real Madrid rode Marco Asensio’s 4th-minute stunner to beat Barcelona 2-0 (5-1 on aggregate) in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup at the Santiago Bernabeu, lifting their second trophy of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s five-match ban for pushing the referee in their 3-1 win in the first leg had been upheld in the build-up to the game, but even without their talisman, Los Blancos were too good for their arch-rivals.
Saturday’s triumph at the Nou Camp had put them in pole position to complete a European and Spanish Super Cup double, but even Zinedine Zidane was impressed by the way his side took the initiative in Wednesday’s tie.
Marco Asensio, given the nod by Zidane ahead of Gareth Bale, let loose a powerful shot from 30 yards that flew into Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goal in the 4th minute.
Perhaps the Catalan defence were wary of the 20-year-old after his thunderbolt in the first leg or perhaps their warm up had not been sufficient.
Either way, it didn’t matter to the in-form Asensio, who vindicated his manager’s faith with another memorable goal which reinforces his starting credentials ahead of the upcoming La Liga season.
Zidane made three changes to the side that beat Barcelona 3-1 on Sunday, bringing in Asensio and Lucas Vazquez for Isco and Bale in attack, while Luka Modric replaced Casemiro in midfield.
Barcelona manager Enrensto Valverde dropped Gerard Deulofeu after his indifferent showing in the first leg but if he was hoping for a drastic change in his side’s fortunes, he was sorely disappointed.
The Catalans never truly recovered from their early setback, which made chances of an already difficult comeback near impossible.
Vazquez and Asensio were running amok and the latter came close to doubling the scoreline in the 33rd minute when Karim Benzema recovered the ball in the Barcelona half and released him, but Asensio’s curling shot agonisingly came off the post.
Real weren’t to be denied for long, however, as Benzema’s deft touch set him up for a close-range volley after Marcelo’s low cross had found him inside the box. If the ter Stegen was at fault for being a casual spectator for the first, Samuel Umtiti was the culprit the second time round as the hosts went into the interval with an unassailable aggregate lead.
The second-half saw a marked improvement from Barcelona, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez hitting the woodwork as Real took their foot of the gas, but with their vaunted forwards having a rare off-day, no miraculous comeback was forthcoming.
Having beaten Manchester United for the UEFA Super Cup title last week, Real’s comprehensive triumph over Barcelona has pegged them as heavy favourites for the upcoming La Liga season.
Meanwhile, their illustrious rivals are on the verge of hitting the panic button and should their transfer targets fail to arrive in the next fortnight, a bleak season is on the cards.