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| Super Cup: How It All Happened At Skopje, Between Real Madrid and Manchester United |
90+7 min: It’s Ronaldo to take it, quite obviously. It’s also blazed a long way off target.
5h ago 21:40
90+6 min: That one is cleared too. Not so much subtlety to United’s approach now really, and now Valencia fouls Ronaldo near the edge of the box and offers a last-gasp chance of a showstopper …
5h ago 21:40
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5h ago 21:39
90+5 min: Pogba is being treated by the side of the pitch, in the meantime, for a wound to the head. Should be back on in a sec. Yep, now is – and they have another set-piece…
5h ago 21:38
90+4 min: Late chance to load the box as Asensio fouls Mkhitaryan. The big guns are up for United but Real smuggle it away and Rashford causes severe consternation – and earns an instant yellow card – when he sends Vazquez flying.
5h ago 21:36
90+2 min: Ramos gets onto this corner too, and might do better than nod wide of the near post.
5h ago 21:35
90+1 min: We’ll see SEVEN extra minutes here. Can United do it? They have a chance …and Valencia whips in a delicious cross that Fellaini meets on the rise .. but Navas dives to his right and catches. Then De Gea makes a much better save, Vazquez teeing up Asensio and the goalkeeper reacting ever so sharply to deflect the ball over!
5h ago 21:34
90 min: Lukaku’s latest contribution of a mixed night is a foul throw.
5h ago 21:33
90 min: Pogba has a chance to set Rashford away down the left but wastes the ball again. Real counter and Marcelo wins a corner from Valencia. They’re not bothered about committing too many forward now but the ball is delivered straight into the box and Ramos glances it over.
5h ago 21:31
87 min: Again, though, the free kick is wasted – I think by Pogba – although Navas has to act fast to make sure it doesn’t accidentally drop under his bar. He catches it.
5h ago 21:30
86 min: Ramos is now furious to be booked for fouling Pogba on the right – he should be glad it’s been 86 minutes, to be fair – and United can apply pressure again. They’re finishing well here.
5h ago 21:29
86 min: “Cristiano Ronaldo is about to enter the fray? This must be the greatest specimen of manly-kind to grace a Macedonian pitch since Alexander the Great, wouldn’t you reckon? Although the statues of Alexander are much better than His, to be honest,” jests Peter Oh.
5h ago 21:29
85 min: Rashford has a go himself but will wish he hadn’t – the free kick is far too high.
Updated at 9.29pm BST
5h ago 21:28
84 min: A booking for Carvajal, who challenged Rashford … ummm … rashly, and United have another chance now. In fact it was a pretty cynical arm round him as he looked to get away onto a ball over the top.
5h ago 21:27
83 min: Ronaldo comes on for Benzema and we get the biggest cheer of the night. He can’t get anything on the Real corner that also greets him, though.
5h ago 21:26
81 min: Rashford should equalise! It all comes from Darmian controlling an awkward ball from De Gea really well and keeping it in. United work the ball forward really nicely and Rashford is played clear on goal by Mkhitaryan – he goes with his left foot and Navas gets enough on it to turn round the post. What a chance, though. He had time and space to score.
5h ago 21:24
80 min: Fellaini is still having problems, although he is up now and being led to the side. Presumably they have bandaged up whatever the issue was, and we’ll be good to go!
5h ago 21:21
78 min: Fellaini went down too then, and has stayed down for treatment. But more interestingly for the Macedonia massive, Ronaldo looks as if he will join us very soon.
5h ago 21:20
76 min: Brilliant ball from Matic towards Fellaini, who gets a jump on Ramos at the back stick but heads it well over. Ramos got a knock to the head there and is down – he just did enough there to stop Fellaini angling it towards goal.
5h ago 21:18
74 min: Yep, Vazquez and Asensio on for Bale and the outstanding Isco.
5h ago 21:17
73 min: Subs for Real shortly – but in the meantime we’ll have a water break. I think Asensio and Vazquez will join us after it.
5h ago 21:15
71 min: A corner for United, and they’ve a lot of height on there now. It’s flicked dangerously across goal but Smalling can’t quite readjust. United warming to this now though.
5h ago 21:13
69 min: Pogba gets the ball back from Fellaini but gets his feet wrong and Benzema, tracking back, takes it off him.
5h ago 21:10
67 min: Can’t help but notice the two assists (well, one assist, should have been two) Navas has given Lukaku. What would Real give for the guy at the other end?
5h ago 21:08
65 min: Will this stir Real to introduce Ronaldo? The crowd would certainly like that.
Updated at 9.09pm BST
5h ago 21:07
Goal! Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United (Lukaku 62)
He makes no mistake this time! Rashford picks out Matic, whose drive from 20 yards is well struck and squirms away from Navas. Lukaku is following up again and there’s a momentary pause of breath but the finish is clinical, if simple. Now they’re back in it … whether they deserve to be or not!
Romelu Lukaku calmly slots home.
Romelu Lukaku calmly slots home. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
Updated at 9.17pm BST
5h ago 21:05
61 min: Bale smacks a right-footer against the bar! It came after Real, playing the ball around inside United’s half for what seemed an eternity, suddenly speeded things up and sent Bale away down the inside right. They were toying with United there …
Gareth Bale’s shot smacks the crossbar.
Gareth Bale’s shot smacks the crossbar. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters
Updated at 9.14pm BST
5h ago 21:03
58 min: De Gea holds onto a crisp Modric drive. We have to give United and Mourinho time. Have to, because it would be stupid not to. But the gulf is very wide on this evidence.
5h ago 21:01
Well, no.
5h ago 21:00
56 min: Let’s take a second to think about what a wonderful player Isco is, though. It just happens to be the same second that United replace Herrera with Marouane Fellaini.
5h ago 20:58
54 min: Oh, it really shouldn’t be game over – what a miss from Lukaku! Pogba has a free header eight yards out and should score, although Navas parries well to his left. But it falls wonderfully for Lukaku, who just has to blast into the open goal. Instead it’s a wild slash over the bar. Oh no, Romelu!
5h ago 20:57
Goal! Real Madrid 2-0 Manchester United (Isco 52)
A lovely goal. Benzema, out on the left, plays it inside to Isco – who then plays a superb first-time give-and-go with Bale, proceeding to dart into the box and go one-on-one with De Gea. The finish is never really in doubt. It’s cool and low, and it is probably game over too.
Isco slots in the second.
Isco celebrates his goal.
Updated at 9.28pm BST
5h ago 20:53
49 min: Rashford slips the ball through Carvajal’s legs with his first run but Casemiro nips in there to snuff any danger out.
5h ago 20:52
49 min: De Gea saves again! A big right hand turns a meaty Kroos drive round the post – the corner is then cleared. Real keep going and Marcelo finds far too much space on the left after a Mkhitaryan error. His shot is deflected into the side netting, and Pogba heads the corner away.
5h ago 20:50
47 min: Modric locates Benzema quite beautifully on the left and he cuts in before aiming a ball towards Bale, who can’t beat Smalling to it.
5h ago 20:49
Peeeeeep! Here comes the second 45.
Real kick us back off.
5h ago 20:49
The teams are back out – and they include Marcus Rashford! He is on for Lingard.
6h ago 20:42
Second half coming up in five. Can United come back? I thought Matic had a good half there. Lukaku, in particular, needed to do more though – that error when he should have let Herrera take the ball was inexcusable, basic stuff really.
6h ago 20:38
I think Ian Copestake is being sarcastic when he offers: “Oh to be a Utd fan! The anticipation alone must be worth the entrance fee when one considers the attacking potential of a combination of Lingard, Herrera, , Valencia, Matic, Lukaku. Carrick, Blind, and not forgetting Fellaini!”
6h ago 20:33
Half-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Manchester United
Real well on top really, despite a reasonable start from United. They were comfortably the better side from the 10th to 30th minutes, scoring in that time through Casemiro, and weren’t really troubled towards the end of the half. De Gea saved well from Benzema too. United have it all to do: the far superior side is winning.
Updated at 8.34pm BST
6h ago 20:31
45 min: Pogba tracks back superbly to stop a Casemiro break in the centre circle and United can attack. A patient move ends with a Pogba diagonal into the box for Lukaku, who outdoes Ramos but heads straight at Navas.
6h ago 20:29
43 min: Modric runs up against Matic, goes down inside the box but nothing’s awarded … it almost doesn’t matter as play is waved on and the ball rolls to Benzema, who rasps in a right-footer that De Gea repels sharply to his right.
6h ago 20:27
42 min: First yellow card, now, Lingard having fouled Isco. he isn’t happy. Nor are United. The complaints seem slightly heavy for what that was, and for what this is.
6h ago 20:27
41 min: Another Valencia cross, another Varane header with Lukaku lurking. United need a touch more guile here despite their improvement.
6h ago 20:25
39 min: Now Valencia evades Marcelo but Varane nods his cross away … then Ramos is sharply in to stop Mkhitaryan finding space at an angle. It’s a different United now, even if they’re not exactly looking slick.
6h ago 20:23
38 min: Herrera has a pretty pointless dig from range that sails pointlessly wide. What would the xG have been for that, Ander?
6h ago 20:22
36 min: Better from Lukaku there, finding Pogba on the left of the box. He tries to measure a finish across Navas but it’s blocked. United a bit more sprightly since the drinks though.
6h ago 20:22
35 min: Dozy from Lukaku, who is offside when Herrera nips the ball off Kroos but runs onto the ball anyway. If he leaves it, Herrera can carry on and cause some danger.
6h ago 20:19
34 min: Poor from Herrera though. He looks for Matic at the back post but overcooks it and it sails out.
6h ago 20:18
33 min: Oh, it was just the two minutes and we’ve started again. A suitably refreshed United win a dangerous free kick after Varane fells Pogba 30 yards out.
6h ago 20:17
John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed)
@NickAmes82 as the saying goes “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” for MUFC not capable of living with Real when there’s a trophy up 4 grabs
August 8, 2017
6h ago 20:16
31 min: Now for the drinks break. It will last three minutes, which will then be added on. I’ll most definitely need a drink if the pace since Real scored doesn’t pick up again.
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