Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United: Los Blancos win Super Cup behind Isco winner
Another trophy for the Real Madrid collection. Los Blancos, winners of last season's La Liga, Champions League and Club World Cup, took home the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday, beating Manchester United, 2-1.
In a match pitting the UCL winners from last season against the reigning Europa League winners, the Spanish club was the stronger team all night long even with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for most of the game while he works his way back into shape after being away for much of the preseason due to his participation with Portugal in the Confederations Cup. Real Madrid hit the crossbar twice and was unfortunate not to win by more, but it was still a pretty convincing showing while United didn't look sharp until very late in the game.
From the get-go, Real Madrid dominated the ball and put pressure on the United defense. And just 24 minutes in, the favorites struck first. Casemiro, though appearing to be offside, finished past David De Gea on a long ball over the top:
Then it was Isco 52 minutes in with some lovely combination play, finishing brilliantly into the far side:
New United signing Romelu Lukaku missed an absolute sitter in the second half but then delivered 10 minutes after Isco, finishing a rebound to cut Real's lead in half:
Looking to draw level, United had a fantastic chance to do so through Marcus Rashford with little time left in the match, but Keylor Navas made a crucial one-on-one save to preserve the victory.
With the result, Real Madrid has momentum entering Sunday's first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against rival Barcelona. Meanwhile, United has given fans few things to be excited about ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against West Ham.
