Real Madrid beats Man U to defend Super Cup title
Casemiro, Isco score for Spanish side as soccer giants face off in Macedonia
SKOPJE, MACEDONIA— Real Madrid eased to a 2-1 victory over Manchester United to win the Super Cup on a hot night in Skopje on Tuesday, with goals in each half from Casemiro and Isco.
Cristiano Ronaldo watched most of the end-to-end action from the bench, while his teammates outclassed United.
Casemiro hit the bar with a header and fired a shot over the top before scoring in the 24th minute. The Brazilian slid in for a left-foot finish, served up by Dani Carvajal.
Isco extended the lead for Zinedine Zidane’s European champions with a cool shot in the 52nd, after Gareth Bale helped him run through United’s defence.
Making amends for an earlier miss, United’s new striker Romelu Lukaku made it 2-1 in the 62nd, beating goalkeeper Keylor Navas after he blocked a powerful shot from Nemanja Matic.
The players needed two cooling breaks to cope with temperatures of 32C (90 F) that led to three fans being hospitalized.
The Super Cup pitches the previous season’s Champions League winners against the Europa League holders.
It was Zidane’s second consecutive Super Cup title — while United coach Jose Mourinho failed in his third attempt to add the trophy to his collection.
United matched Madrid for pace but lacked the finishing to turn the match around. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who regularly burst forward, and substitute Marcus Rashford provided much of United’s threat.
Both Rashford and Paul Pogba missed glaring second-half chances, failing to score with Navas at their mercy.
Moments before the final whistle, a shirtless fan ran onto the pitch and was wrestled to the ground by stewards.
More than 2,500 officers policed the game in the tiny Balkan country. Four people were arrested, accused of selling black market tickets.