Glasner: Super Cup winners Real Madrid are “on another level”
Eintracht Frankfurt performed admirably against Real Madrid, yet it was not enough as the Spanish giants went on to win 2-0 in Helsinki.
Real Madrid were simply “on another level” to Eintracht Frankfurt, according to coach Oliver Glasner, who nevertheless demanded his team find a way to improve further. Glasner’s Eintracht side were comfortably beaten 2-0 by the Champions League winners in the Super Cup on Wednesday.
David Alaba put Madrid ahead in the first half at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, before Karim Benzema netted midway through the second half to put the result to bed. In the process, Benzema became Madrid’s outright second-highest goalscorer, having scored 324 times for Los Blancos.
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While Glasner did not believe his side delivered the “special” defensive performance he asked for before the game, he knows Madrid are a difficult team to match. “I think we improved from the last game [a 6-1 defeat to Bayern Munich], but you can’t give Madrid two chances,” he told a news conference. “The team did it well most of the time. After that, it was difficult and, in the end, Real Madrid was the better team and they deserved the win.”
He added: “I think you could see we had defensive stability for many periods today. The last ball, the last pass, did not come enough. We want to improve, we need to improve at this, but the performance today left me quite optimistic. We’ve seen at this level, this kind of opponent, it’s not quite enough. It’s nagging at me, but I have to accept it and it’s important now to have that ambition, the whole team, club and staff to work really hard to make that one step closer to such teams. Real Madrid are on another level. We knew that beforehand, but I am not like that, I want to improve. I think all of us, the whole team, we played at our highest level. The fact is that it wasn’t enough against Real Madrid. Now it’s about pushing our personal level a little higher, as a team. That is the task that is presented to us right now. If all of my players are as motivated as I have seen, we will increase our level.”
Courtois on call
Eintracht were without Filip Kostic, with the wing-back on the verge of moving to Juventus. Nevertheless, they had some good opportunities, particularly early on, when Daichi Kamada forced a fine stop out of Thibaut Courtois, who has saved all 19 shots on goal he has faced from opposition players in his four finals with Madrid in domestic and UEFA competitions.
“It was a decisive situation. I don’t know if it would have been enough but, of course, it would have been easier to lead the game at 1-0,” Glasner said. “Against teams like Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, you have to create your chances when you get them. How early Courtois sees where Kamada would put the ball was really world class. He showed this in the Champions League final against Liverpool.”