An own goal by defender Stefan Savic and a strike by Brahim Diaz late in extra time gave Real Madrid a 5-3 comeback win over city rivals Atletico in a rip-roaring Spanish Super Cup semi-final in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Wednesday.
Atletico opened the scoring from a Mario Hermoso header in the sixth minute, but Real fought back through Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy, before Antoine Griezmann equalised in the 37th minute with a brilliant long-range strike.
A bad mistake by Real goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, whose attempt at a clearance hit team-mate Rudiger and bounced into the back of the net restored Atletico’s lead in the 78th minute, but Dani Carvajal struck to take the match into extra time.
With a penalty shootout looming, a header bounced off Savic into Atletico’s net five minutes from the end of extra time.
In the last play of the match, Diaz finished off a counter- attack into an empty net after Atletico keeper Jan Oblak went up to Real’s box in a desperate attempt to equalise from a corner.
Real will face the winners of Thursday’s semi-final between Barcelona and Osasuna in the final in Riyadh on Sunday.
In Italy, Teun Koopmeiners scored twice as Atalanta came back from a goal down to beat AC Milan 2-1 at San Siro in their Coppa Italia quarter-final clash.
Rafael Leao broke the deadlock for Milan just before half-time with an elegant first-time finish from Theo Hernandez’s pass, but in a swift response, an unmarked Koopmeiners received a ball from Emil Holm near the edge of the box before guiding a low shot into the far corner.
Former Chelsea managers Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho are on opposite sides of the Rome derby divide
Koopmeiners then completed the comeback for Atalanta in the 59th minute when he converted a penalty after Alex Jimenez fouled Aleksei Miranchuk.
Atalanta will play Fiorentina in a two-legged semi-final in April following Vincenzo Italiano’s side’s win over Bologna on penalties on Tuesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Lazio secured a Coppa Italia semi-final place with an ill-tempered 1-0 victory over Rome derby rivals AS Roma courtesy of Mattia Zaccagni’s penalty.
Zaccagni broke the deadlock from the spot six minutes into the second half after Roma’s new signing Dean Huijsen had fouled Taty Castellanos.
Roma came close to securing a late equaliser, but Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandate made an impressive save from Andrea Belotti’s half-volley.
To add to Roma manager Jose Mourinho’s woes, his Argentine forward Paulo Dybala was substituted at halftime due to injury.
“I felt that in the first half, we were the team with the most character, set out well, but when you lose Dybala, it all changes,” Mourinho told Mediaset.
“Without Paulo, there is no connection between attack and defence, while the quality level drops.
“I am a little disappointed with a few individuals, as we ought to do more. We work so hard to get the ball to the flanks and then don’t put the crosses in.”
Romelu Lukaku went close to an equaliser for Roma in the closing stages, but his overhead kick narrowly sailed over the bar.
Late in added time, tensions flared when Lazio’s Pedro received a second yellow card following an altercation with Leandro Paredes and Roma’s Sardar Azmoun was shown a red card for striking Nicolo Rovella.
Roma’s Gianluca Mancini received a red card for dissent after the final whistle.
Lazio will meet Juventus or Frosinone, who meet on Thursday, in the semi-finals. (RTÉ)
