Real Madrid reached the final of the 2023 Spanish Super Cup, but they needed penalty kicks to get past Valencia in the first semifinal of the competition played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Real Madrid vs Valencia highlights
Los Merengues will now get the chance to win their second trophy of the 2022/23 season on Sunday when they take on the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between Barcelona and Real Betis. Real have already claimed the UEFA Super Cup in August.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stopped a weak attempt by Valencia captain Jose Gaya to end the shootout, during which Real were perfect. However, the defending La Liga champions were far from it during a lackluster 90 minutes of regulation and extra time.
Outside of solo flashes from Vinicius Jr, and a couple of shots from distance, Real Madrid were not effective in buildup play and rarely threatened. The rare times they did, Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadarshvili was up to the task, but he couldn’t stop any of their penalties in the shootout.
Real Madrid took the lead in regulation on a Karim Benzema first-half penalty kick after the reigning Ballon d’Or winner was brought down in the Valencia box. But Valencia responded within 30 seconds of the second half kicking off, as Samuel Lino applied the far-post finish on a curling Toni Lato cross.
Outside of a late flurry to end the match, Real Madrid couldn’t muster much, but injuries also played a part in their stunted showing. Two starters, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba, were already missing, and three other Madrid players picked up injuries on the night: Eduardo Camavinga (knee), Eder Militao (head injury), and Lucas Vazquez (ankle). Their availability to play on Sunday will prove a major factor for a Real Madrid side that’s clearly far from its best.
Real Madrid vs Valencia final score
| 1H | 2H | 1ET | 2ET | Final (Pens) |
|
| Real Madrid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (4) |
| Valencia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (3) |
Goals:
RMA — Karim Benzema (penalty) — 39th min.
VAL — Samuel Lino (Toni Lato) — 46th min.
Lineups:
Real Madrid (4-3-3): 1-Courtois (GK) — 6-Nacho, 3-Militao (23-Mendy, 74′), 22-Rudiger, 17-Lucas V. (2-Carvajal, 69′) — 15-Valverde (19-Ceballos, 106′), 8-Kroos, 12-Camavinga (10-Modric, 46′) — 21-Rodrygo (11-Asensio, 84′), 9-Benzema, 20-Vinicius Jr.
Valencia (4-4-2): 25-Mamardashvili (GK) — 2-Thierry, 24-Comert, 15-Cenk, 14-Gaya — 3-Toni Lato (20-Foulquier, 95′), 4-Musah (8-Moriba, 95′), 18-Almeida, 16-Lino (29-F. Perez 82′, 6-Guillamon 114′) — 9-Justin Kluivert (19-Duro, 73′), 7-Cavani.