For the first time in the history of the European Super Cup, this competition will take place in Finland. Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, as champions of the last Champions League and Europa Leagueleaving Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers at the gates, will fight at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium with a single objective: to take over from Chelsea as European Super Champion, after Albiol’s mistake in the penalty shootout that condemned the team yellow. Before getting into the matter, Let’s review the path of both contenders.
How did Madrid and Eintracht get to the European Super Cup?
The whites signed a miraculous Champions, where they made the comeback their cover letter. In fact, except for the final against Liverpool (decided with a goal from Vinicius after a pass from Valverde), they were KO’d at some point in all the qualifiers. In the round of 16, they lost in the first leg at the Parc des Princes (1-0), with an exhibition by Mbappé and Courtois, who kept Ancelotti’s men alive against PSG. The return, after the Parisian goal, came 20 minutes of ecstasy In the Bernabéu to turn the game (3-1) in the second part, clinging to Benzema’s hat-trick, and the tie.
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In quarters, Chelsea, last champion. The 1-3 at Stamford Bridge, another hat-trick from the Lyon striker through, seemed to leave everything resolved, but the blues went 0-3 in Madrid. Rodrygo, after an excellent pass from Modric and Benzema in extra time, sealed the comeback. (23). The most difficult still occurred in the semifinals. Vinicius and Benzema breathed life into the then thirteen-time European champion at the Etihad, where City won, but by an insufficient 4-3. Mahrez marked 0-1 in the lap, but again Rodrygo put the cape and in two minutes he worked the Máximo Máxima. Karim’s goal in added time earned him a spot in the final, where Courtois was an insurmountable wall and the deserved MVP, after beating the stop record (9) in a final that crowned the aforementioned Vinicius (1-0).
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Eintracht’s journey in the Europa League is also not understood without heroes. In the round of 16 they took Betis ahead, in a strange tie. In the first leg (1-2), the Germans were far superior at Villamarín, but the second leg was another story. A goal from Borja Iglesias was worth the extra time… where, again at the buzzer, Guido scored an own goal that filled the Verdiblanca fans with tears (1-1). In rooms, the supreme bell. 1-1 at the Deutsche Bank Park against the highly favored Barça. But at the Camp Nou, supported by their fans (the controversy over the tickets and the white stands still resonates), they placed a 0-3 at half-time that handcuffed Xavi’s men. Two goals in the discount only served to make up the result. The semi-finals were ‘calmer’, beating both the first leg (1-2) and the second leg (1-0) over West Ham, leaving all the drama for the final. Santos Borré was the hero who put on the cape, tying Aribo’s initial goal and placing the last penalty of the shootout in the squad.
Where is the European Super Cup played?
As we said, The final between Real Madrid and Eintracht will be played at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and will be on August 10 at 9:00 p.m.. First time that a clash of this caliber takes place in Finland. Between 1973 and 1997, the European Super Cup was played over two legs, with the first leg at the home of the champion of the then UEFA Cup and the second leg at the home of the European champion. Starting in 1998, this changed to a single party. The following 15 editions were played at the Louis II Stadium in Monacoto undergo a new modification in 2013.
Since then, the European Super Cup has been a single game, but in a changing venue. Eden Arena in Prague (2013), Cardiff City in Cardiff (2014), Boris Paichadze in Tbilisi (2015), Lerkendal in Trondheim (2016), Phillip II Arena in Skopje (2017), Lieküla in Tallinn (2018), Vodafone Park in Istanbul (2019), Puskás Arena in Budapest (2020), Windsor Park in Belfast (2021) and now it is the turn of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Once the center of activities for the 1952 Olympic Games, with a capacity of 39,784 spectators, it is the home of the Finnish football team. there he will look Real Madrid won their fifth European Super Cup, to equal Barça and Milan as the biggest champions; while Eintracht will try to debut in the competition.
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