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Real Madrid, Barcelona Face off in Spanish Super Cup Final in Riyadh on Sunday

Football - Spanish Super Cup - Real Madrid Training - Al Nassr FC Facilities, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2024 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham with teammates during training. (Reuters)
Football - Spanish Super Cup - Real Madrid Training - Al Nassr FC Facilities, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2024 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham with teammates during training. (Reuters)
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Real Madrid, Barcelona Face off in Spanish Super Cup Final in Riyadh on Sunday

Football - Spanish Super Cup - Real Madrid Training - Al Nassr FC Facilities, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2024 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham with teammates during training. (Reuters)
Football - Spanish Super Cup - Real Madrid Training - Al Nassr FC Facilities, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2024 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham with teammates during training. (Reuters)

Real Madrid and Barcelona are poised to compete in the “El Clasico” final of the Spanish Super Cup at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s squad clinched a thrilling 5-3 victory against capital rivals Atlético Madrid in Riyadh on Wednesday, while the Catalan super team secured a 2-0 win over Osasuna.

Perennial rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona faced off in the Spanish Super Club final at the King Fahd Sport City Stadium in Riyadh in 2023. Barcelona emerged victorious with a 3-1 win.

Saudi Arabia has previously hosted two editions of the Spanish Super Cup, the first in Jeddah in 2020 and the second in Riyadh in 2022, with Real Madrid claiming both titles.

The hosting of the Spanish Super Cup in the Kingdom, organized by the Ministry of Sports, aligns with the Quality of Life Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 Realization Programs.

The initiative aims to bolster the Kingdom's standing as a premier destination for global mega events and enhancing the overall quality of life for its residents and visitors alike.

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Kane Hat Trick against Augsburg Hides Bayern's Concerning Lack of Goals

Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
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Kane Hat Trick against Augsburg Hides Bayern's Concerning Lack of Goals

Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK
Harry Kane of Munich (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, Germany, 22 November 2024. EPA/RONALD WITTEK

Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday.
The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14, The Associated Press reported.
The England forward is the fastest player to 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game.
However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0.
Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline.
“We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.”
Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd.
Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another.
It’s Bayern’s sixth consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League.
“You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.”
Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup.