Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United: 2017 UEFA Super Cup match report
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Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United. match report
Real Madrid claimed their first trophy of the year and doomed Jose Mourinho to become the first manager to lose three European Super Cups with a 2-1 victory in Skopje on Tuesday night.
With plenty of talk in the build-up over whether Bale would start or not and whether he was on the way out of the club, the Welsh man did start and starred but Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for a place on the bench while Nemanja Matic made his Manchester United debut.
It was Bale who had the first chance as the ball landed to him standing on the six-yard box and he blazed wide. After a good opening spell from Manchester United, Real Madrid sprang to life and for a long spell, left United chasing shadows.
At the very end of that good spell, on 24 minutes, Dani Carvajal put a ball over the top to Casemiro and the Brazilian midfielder made no mistake as he slotted past David de Gea. There were shouts for offside and the replays suggested they were based on the truth but the linesman withheld his flag and Real Madrid were 1-0 up.
United were struggling to come to terms with Real Madrid's quality but after a quick water break they seemed to curb their opponent's dominance and even had a couple of chances themselves. None of them landed though and 1-0 was how it would wind up at the half.
Mourinho brought Marcus Rashford on for the second half to ignite United's attack but it was Real Madrid who were revitalised after the break. Isco, who had a growing influence on the game, played a lovely one-two with Bale and slotted expertly past De Gea, who was left helpless and exposed.
With 54 minutes played, Real Madrid were two to the good and out of sight, or so it seemed. Just minutes later, Paul Pogba had a header from point blank range saved by Navas and Romelu Lukaku missed the rebound from even closer. It was one of those night for United.
Gareth Bale found himself free down the right just two minutes after that miss and could have put the game to bed but his shot rifled back off the crossbar and away to safety from a Man United point of view.
United made it close after the hour mark (62) when Nemanja Matic, who impressed his new employers on his first full day of work, took a shot that Navas could only parry and this time the Belgian new signing didn't miss. Lukaku had opened his and United's account.
There were chances for both sides as the game ticked on and opened up. Marouane Fellaini made a difference to United's style and hopes when he came on but none of his efforts could be converted.
Asensio had a chance but De Gea, like he so often does, kept United dreaming with a wonderful on the line.
The light was turned out on that dream after seven minutes of injury time when the referee called full-time in Skopje and Jose Mourinho will be forced back to the drawing board ahead of their opening game of the Premier League next weekend. The battles keep getting bigger for Zidane and co. however as they get ready to face Barcelona fresh of the loss of Neymar and with plenty to prove after last season and with a new coach.
Real Madrid vs Manchester United live stream online: latest news
Real Madrid vs Manchester United live stream online: Super Cup preview
The first official game of the 2017-18 season for both sides and it is set to be an epic encounter between two heavyweights of European football. The game itself kicks off at 20:45 at Philip II Arena in Skopje, Macedonia. Champions League winners Real Madrid and Europa League winners Manchester United face each other in Skopje, Macedonia where temperatures are set to soar above 30 for the European Super Cup.
Real Madrid will compete for six trophies this season with the very real possibility of winning, if not all, a large chunk of that six. Manchester United will battle for five as Mourinho looks to start his season off with the first of what United fans are hoping is a successful year at the club.
Real Madrid: UEFA SuperCup 2017
The big news in Real Madrid's camp is that Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh off his summer holidays, is in Zinedine Zidane's squad and is "here to play" according to the manager. There is lots of noise around the Portuguese attacker, as always, says Zidane but he is calm.
Meanwhile, Gareth Bale is garnering attention that is not being helped by Jose Mourinho. The former Real Madrid head coach says if Bale doesn't start then he might be heading for the exit and would be willing to fight for him if that's the case.
Zidane seems unmoved, however, as always, and is only concerned with what his side do.
He has his first choice keeper, defense, and midfield but it remains to be seen what the French manager opts to do with his forward line.
There are doubts that Ronaldo, after his three days of training, will be ready to play but if he does, Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale are battling for playing time alongside, presumable, Karim Benzema.
Zidane says Real Madrid are missing a striker but for the moment, his compatriot will likely lead the line. The big question is who lines up beside him.
Manchester United: UEFA SuperCup 2017
Jose Mourinho is intent on playing up United's role as the underdogs citing the difference in quality between the Champions League and the Europa League.
He will be without Phil Jones and Eric Bailly as both are suspended while Timothy Fosu-Mensah will also be abesnt as he moves south to London where he will play with Crystal Palace on loan for the year.
Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo continue their longer term injury rehab while Nemanja Matic is "available but not available like the others", according to Mourinho.
Mourinho, who said he practically had to beg to leave Real Madrid, will return to play his former side for the first time in an official game since he left for Chelsea four years ago. It will be the fifth time in total that he has played Real Madrid as a manager with a record of three losses and one draw - all during his time at Porto.
The players he signed this summer moved to win trophies and at the earliest opportunity, they are offered the chance to do just that and hand their manager his first win over Real Madrid. The rivalry has heated up in recent years and here are five reasons in helping to understand why.
Real Madrid vs Manchester United live stream online: potential line-ups
Real Madrid XI: Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco, Benzema, Cristiano/Bale
Head coach: Zinedine Zidane
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Smalling, Lindelöf, Blind, Valencia, Darmian, Herrera, Fellaini, Pogba, Mkhitaryan/Rashford, Lukaku
Head coach: José Mourinho
Real Madrid vs Manchester United livestream online: Super Cup betting
Real Madrid are the bookies' favourites to lift the Super Cup in Skopje, with Manchester United valued back at 29/10 at the time of writing.
Place your bet on Real Madrid vs Manchester United now.
