European soccer has entered a new season, and Real Madrid just keeps rolling along.
Real Madrid defeated Manchester United 2-1 on Wednesday in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup, the traditional curtain-raising game in which the reigning UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League winners square off. Real Madrid retains the trophy it won last year and becomes the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to win back-to-back UEFA Super Cups. The win also extended Spain’s dominance in the one-game competition, with a Spanish club winning it for the fourth consecutive season and eighth time in nine years.
Casemiro opened the scoring with this 24th-minute goal.
Isco doubled Real Madrid’s advantage in the 52nd minute.
Manchester United trimmed the deficit in the 62nd minute with a debut goal.
Real Madrid deserved the win, having controlled the game from start to finish. The two-time defending Champions League winner might have won by a larger margin had Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea not been on top of his game.
The Spanish club also managed to ease to victory largely without Cristiano Ronaldo, who played just 14 minutes in the contest. Ronaldo missed most of Real Madrid’s preseason because he played for Portugal at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and was allowed extra time off for family reasons.
Thumbnail photo via Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports Images
