Real Madrid are the champions of the 2012 Supercopa de Espana. They dethroned Barcelona thanks to a 2-1 victory.
Pepe’s return in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI was warmly felt. The Portuguese defender disrupted Barcelona’s attacking flow as Los Blancos opted to use counter-attacking tactics. Gonzalo Higuain capitalized on Javier Mascherano’s defensive blunder to open the scoring after 11 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo piled up pressure on Victor Valdes eight minutes later with a slick move. Pepe thought he made it three a few moments later but the referee ruled out the goal for infringement. In the 28th minute, Adriano got sent off for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo as the forward was breaking away on goal.
Lionel Messi’s body language towards the end of the first period affirmed Barcelona’s state of frustration. La Pulga soon made an impact in the game, though.
A chance fell to the visitors through a free-kick in the 45th minute. Messi took it with power and precision to put Barcelona back in the game.
In reply to that, Cristiano Ronaldo fired an audacious strike from 35 yards but the ball flew narrowly wide on the right. This meant relief for Barcelona who went into the dressing room with a bit of hope.
The match saw Alexandre Song and Luka Modric make their debut for their respective cub. Both put on a good display as substitutes but Modric ended up on the winning side.
Many would argue that Barcelona are still the team to beat after witnessing Real Madrid's wastefullness in attack. While debates continue, La Liga resumes this weekend with champions Real Madrid eager to recover from their 2-1 defeat away to Getafe.
Cristiano Ronaldo piled up pressure on Victor Valdes eight minutes later with a slick move. Pepe thought he made it three a few moments later but the referee ruled out the goal for infringement. In the 28th minute, Adriano got sent off for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo as the forward was breaking away on goal.
Lionel Messi’s body language towards the end of the first period affirmed Barcelona’s state of frustration. La Pulga soon made an impact in the game, though.
A chance fell to the visitors through a free-kick in the 45th minute. Messi took it with power and precision to put Barcelona back in the game.
In reply to that, Cristiano Ronaldo fired an audacious strike from 35 yards but the ball flew narrowly wide on the right. This meant relief for Barcelona who went into the dressing room with a bit of hope.
The match saw Alexandre Song and Luka Modric make their debut for their respective cub. Both put on a good display as substitutes but Modric ended up on the winning side.
Many would argue that Barcelona are still the team to beat after witnessing Real Madrid's wastefullness in attack. While debates continue, La Liga resumes this weekend with champions Real Madrid eager to recover from their 2-1 defeat away to Getafe.
