Real Madrid outclass Manchester United in UEFA Super Cup-brief

UEFA Super Cup—Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Score:                     Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United

Half-time:               RM—1—0 ManU

Goals:                     Real—Casemiro 24’, Isco 52’ ManU—Lukaku 62’

Possession:            Real 64%, ManU 36%

Shots at/on Goal:  Real 16/6 Man U 13/6

Sound bite:            Real too good for ManU even with Cristiano Ronaldo on bench.

Turning Point:       Carvahal chips over Man U defense and Casemiro slides to meet the ball with his left foot for the score and the long-deserved lead.

Formations:           Real—4-3-3, ManU—4-3-3

Rosters:  Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco (Lucas Vazquez 74), Benzema (Ronaldo 82), Bale (Asensio 74). Subs not used: Casilla, Nacho, Theo, Kovacic. Booked: Carvajal, Ramos. ManU—De Gea; Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Darmian; Matic, Herrera (Fellaini 56), Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Lingard (Rashford 46); Lukaku. Subs not used: Romero, Blind, Carrick, Mata, Martial. Booked: Lingard, Rashford.

FP UEFA ranking:   Real—10, Man U—8

Form:                     new season for both teams

Head-to-head:       Real—5W-2L-4D

FP CRI: Mourinho—1, Zidane—2.

Venue:                   Phillip II Arena,Skopje, Macedonia

Attendance:           33,421

Capacity:                33,460

Weather:                90F/32C/48% Humidity—two water breaks necessary

Pitch:                     Patchy and slick

Referee Team:       Referee— Gianluca Rocchi, assistant referees Elenito Di Liberatore, Mauro Tonolini, additional ast. referees Davide Massa, Massimiliano Irrati, reserve official Riccardo Di Fiore. France’s Clément Turpin, fourth official.

Fouls Committed: Real   15—24  ManU

Fouls Called:         Real  10—17  ManU

Yellow Cards:       Real    2—2    ManU

Red Cards:            Real    0—0    ManU

FP-HRI/Match:     1/1

Game Summary: A one sided contest, with the result all but preordained, that underlined the gap between Real and most other contenders. Madrid dominated despite having Ronaldo on the bench. Isco was man of the match and his goal sealed the victory seven minutes into the second half. Mourinho’s transfers Lukalu and Matic played well, giving hope that a good 2017-18 Premier League for ManU is in the offing. Zidane is bringing Ronaldo on slowly after his extended vacation and he should be almost ready for the upcoming Spanish Super Cup double header.