Spanish Supercup: Valverde rocket sends Real Madrid into Clasico final in Saudi but have they really improved

Real Madrid booked their place in a mouthwatering Clasico final at the Spanish Super Cup after edging past city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a tense semi-final encounter in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday night. This is the fourth consecutive year we are getting a clasico in the Spanish Super cup finals.

Federico Valverde announced his intentions spectacularly early, unleashing a ferocious free-kick after just two minutes that left Jan Oblak helpless. The Uruguayan midfielder's thunderbolt marked his first goal of the campaign and set the tone for what would prove to be a hard-fought Madrid derby under the Saudi Arabian lights.

The explosive start gave Los Blancos the platform to control proceedings, though Atletico created several opportunities to level before the break. Rodrygo, enjoying a resurgent spell after a difficult previous season, squandered a golden chance after cutting inside brilliantly, firing straight at Oblak when he should have doubled the advantage.

The second half brought renewed intensity as Valverde turned provider in the 55th minute, threading a perfectly weighted pass through Atletico's defense for Rodrygo to finish clinically past Oblak. The Brazilian's composed strike seemed to settle the contest, but Diego Simeone's side responded immediately. Alexander Sorloth reduced the deficit just three minutes later with a powerful header from Giuliano Simeone's cross, setting up a nervy finale.

Thibaut Courtois proved decisive in preserving Madrid's advantage, producing crucial saves to deny Sorloth's point-blank header and Alex Baena's long-range effort. The match concluded with tension boiling over as Vinicius Junior and Simeone were both booked following a heated exchange during a substitution.

Was this a sign of improvement for Real Madrid?

The real question here was whether this was an improvement on what happened the last time the two teams met, when Atletico humiliated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Metropolitano in September. The result alone shows that it was, but the performance itself may have left question marks. Early on, the press worked well, but was short-lived, and the team seemed to lose the battle on occasions. Remember, they came to Saudi after thumping Real Betis 5-1 at home this weekend.

AHowever, here Atletico found it too easy to get down the flanks and to use Alexander Sorloth as a target in the middle. That same approach as the one used in September generated chances for the Colchoneros, but, unlike in September, they failed to take them. The result was positive, but Xabi Alonso will not be an entirely satisfied man with what he saw from his players.

Playing without the injured Kylian Mbappe for a second consecutive match, Real Madrid now face Barcelona in Sunday's final. The Blaugrana demolished Athletic Bilbao 5-0 in Wednesday's semi-final and will be seeking revenge for their Clasico defeat earlier this season. Barcelona will also be hoping to repeat their dominant performance from the last Supercopa final, where they dismantled Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid in emphatic fashion.

The fixture also saw Atletico midfielder Koke Resurreccion set a new Madrid derby record, making his 44th appearance against Real Madrid to surpass former defender Sergio Ramos. Despite the historic milestone, Koke was left lamenting a missed opportunity, admitting the early deficit proved costly for his side's final hopes.