In a close duel for the UEFA Supercup, Champions League winners Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt. Although Frankfurt misses the title, they redeem themselves for the 1:6 defeat against FC Bayern.
He usually prevents goals, this time he scores: David Alaba (left) makes it 1-0 for Real against Frankfurt
Normally, the medals awarded to the losers after a grand final don't stick around the necks of the defeated players for long. Many tear down the evidence of the defeat they have just suffered before they even step off the podium at the awards ceremony. Not so the Eintracht Frankfurt players after the 0:2 (0:1) defeat in the UEFA Supercup against Real Madrid. They proudly wore the silver medal presented by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. After all, the small, round piece of precious metal was further evidence of the great achievement of winning the Europa League last season.
“We lost, but we're still proud. You can tell how proud the fans are of us,” said Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp after the lap of honor past the 10,000 Eintracht fans accompanying their team to the game in the Finnish capital Helsinki had and celebrated it despite the defeat. “We would have liked to win, we had one or two chances. But in the end you play against the Champions League winners here.”
Kamada fails at Courtois
“Just in Of course you want to win the title in a game like that, but unfortunately it wasn't enough in the end,” said Eintracht captain Sebastian Rode on the Sky microphone, but he smiled. “But it was a much better performance compared to the Bayern game. But it's not that easy against the Champions League winners. You have to take your chances. We didn't manage that again today.”
That would have been it: Daichi Kamada (r.) failed in the 24th minute to Real keeper Thibaut Courtois< /p>
Especially Frankfurt's midfielder Daichi Kamada could have given the game a completely different course in the middle of the first half: The Japanese had the lead in a one-on-one with Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but failed at the two-meter-tall Belgian, who, like in the Champions League final against Liverpool, held everything he had to hold. Ex-Bayern player David Alaba (37th minute) and goalscorer Karim Benzema (65th) then scored up front.
The winner also praised Oliver Glasner's team: “The Eintracht was well organised,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. “It was difficult for us to find space. But we stayed patient and after the first goal we had full control.”
Shared record for Real
In the end, the former Bayern coach was happy about the fifth Supercup title for his club. Real is catching up with the two previous record holders FC Barcelona and AC Milan. From the Bundesliga, FC Bayern, who won the trophy in 2013 and 2020, remains the only German winner of the UEFA Supercup.
It was Eintracht's first direct comparison with Real Madrid in 62 years. In 1960, the Hessians lost the final in the European Cup of Champions 3:7. In front of around 130,000 spectators in Glasgow's Hampden Park, the exceptional team Reals around Alfredo Di Stefano, Francisco Gento and Ferenc Puskas was simply too strong for Frankfurt. Madrid then won the fifth European Cup in a row. The so-called “game of the century” is still considered by many to be one of the best of all time.
Proud winner: Zum Real Madrid wins the European Supercup for the fifth time
The UEFA Supercup in Helsinki was certainly not another “game of the century”, but one that Eintracht is unlikely to play again often – if ever again. And one from which the team can draw a lot of positive things for the upcoming tasks, despite the defeat.
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The game in numbers:
Real Madrid – Eintracht Frankfurt 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: 1-0 Alaba (37'), 2-0 Benzema (65')
Spectators: 31,000