Real Madrid edged Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final at 7:00pm on Thursday 8 January 2026 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, in front of 55,651 supporters.
An early strike from Federico Valverde and a second-half goal from Rodrygo proved decisive, despite Alexander Sørloth pulling one back for Atletico.
Match summary and key moments
Real Madrid took the lead inside two minutes when captain Federico Valverde struck in the second minute to stun their city rivals.
Atletico responded with sustained pressure and dominated possession for long spells but struggled to convert their territorial advantage into goals before the break.
Rodrygo doubled Madrid’s lead in the 55th minute to give Carlo Ancelotti’s side breathing space.
Sørloth reduced the deficit three minutes later in the 58th minute to set up a tense finale.
Despite Atletico registering 22 shots to Madrid’s eight, they were unable to find an equaliser as Thibaut Courtois produced five saves to preserve the lead.
Full Lineups
Atletico Madrid Starting XI
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 13 | Jan Oblak |
| 14 | Marcos Llorente |
| 18 | Marc Pubill |
| 17 | David Hancko |
| 3 | Matteo Ruggeri |
| 20 | Giuliano Simeone |
| 4 | Conor Gallagher |
| 6 | Koke (c) |
| 10 | Alex Baena |
| 9 | Alexander Sørloth |
| 19 | Julian Alvarez |
Atletico Madrid Substitutes
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Musso |
| 2 | Jose Gimenez |
| 16 | Nahuel Molina |
| 24 | Robin Le Normand |
| 34 | Javier Diaz |
| 5 | Joao de Souza Cardoso |
| 27 | Javi Monserrate |
| 28 | T Seidu |
| 7 | Antoine Griezmann |
| 11 | Thiago Almada |
| 22 | Giacomo Raspadori |
Real Madrid Starting XI
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thibaut Courtois |
| 8 | Federico Valverde (c) |
| 17 | Raul Asencio del Rosario |
| 22 | Antonio Rudiger |
| 18 | Alvaro Fernandez |
| 14 | Aurelien Tchouameni |
| 6 | Eduardo Camavinga |
| 11 | Rodrygo |
| 5 | Jude Bellingham |
| 7 | Vinicius Junior |
| 16 | Gonzalo Garcia |
Real Madrid Substitutes
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 13 | Andriy Lunin |
| 2 | Dani Carvajal |
| 4 | David Alaba |
| 15 | Arda Guler |
| 19 | Dani Ceballos |
| 20 | Fran Garcia |
| 23 | Ferland Mendy |
| 24 | Dean Huijsen |
| 30 | Franco Mastantuono |
| 35 | D Jimenez |
| 45 | T Pitarch |
Match statistics
Atletico controlled 54.9 per cent of possession compared to Real Madrid’s 45.1 per cent.
Diego Simeone’s side attempted 538 passes with an accuracy of 87.5 per cent, while Madrid completed 382 of 453 passes at 84.3 per cent accuracy.
Atletico created 18 chances and delivered 33 crosses, earning nine corners.
Madrid managed just six chances and one corner but were clinical when opportunities arose.
In defensive metrics, Atletico attempted 19 tackles and succeeded with 15, boasting a 78.9 per cent success rate.
Madrid completed seven successful tackles from 16 attempts and made 27 clearances to withstand pressure.
Statistical comparison
| Category | Atletico Madrid | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54.9% | 45.1% |
| Shots | 22 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 4 |
| Corners | 9 | 1 |
| Accurate Passes | 471 | 382 |
| Passing Accuracy | 87.5% | 84.3% |
| Goalkeeper Saves | 2 | 5 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 1 |
The result sends Real Madrid into the Spanish Super Cup final after a disciplined performance that blended early aggression with defensive resilience.
Atletico Madrid, despite superior numbers across multiple statistical categories, were left to rue missed opportunities in a fiercely contested derby staged on Saudi soil.
