Carlo Ancelotti said it is in Real Madrid's DNA to never give up after their remarkable victory over rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Real twice came from a goal down and required extra time at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh to beat Atletico 5-3 and book their place in the final, where they will meet either Barcelona or Osasuna, who contest the other semi-final on Thursday.
Mario Hermoso and Antonio Rudiger exchanged early headed goals before Ferland Mendy sent Real ahead in the 29th minute.
Antoine Griezmann levelled with a milestone goal for Atletico to become their all-time leading scorer and Kepa Arrizabalaga's own goal sent the Rojilbancos ahead. Dani Carvajal then smashed Madrid level and forced extra time.
With the game heading towards penalties, Stefan Savic's own goal under pressure from Joselu nudged Real ahead and substitute Brahim Diaz wrapped up the win on the counter-attack with Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak stranded out of position.
“It’s nothing new, it’s pure Real Madrid DNA," manager Ancelotti said about his team's fightback victory. "Let it be a good learning experience for the youngsters: this team never gives up. You can lose, but never give up.”
Diego Simeone's Atletico are the only team to beat Madrid this season, in September, and they started strongly with Samuel Lino testing Arrizabalaga shortly before they took the lead.
Hermoso headed in the opener after six minutes from Griezmann's corner as Rodrygo failed to challenge him in the air.
Rudiger levelled for Madrid in similar fashion as he escaped Savic and nodded Luka Modric's corner home.
Madrid, unbeaten in 20 matches, were in the ascendency and full-back Mendy capitalised with a deft flicked finish from Carvajal's low cross.
Griezmann headed into Arrizabalaga's hands before pulling Atletico level in a gripping first half, turning away from Modric before driving home from the edge of the box.
The goal took him ahead of the late Luis Aragones as Atletico's all-time top scorer on 174 goals.
Saudi Arabian spectators, despite mainly supporting Real Madrid, jeered Los Blancos midfielder Toni Kroos, on as a second-half substitute, after he criticised players moving to the country from European football last summer in search of riches.
“I don’t understand the booing and I don’t think Kroos does either," Ancelotti said. "I really don’t understand them. Regarding the decision [to substitute Kroos], Toni has arrived with a discomfort and I preferred to put in a fresher player. The truth is that these are very complicated decisions, very complicated.”
Oblak made a fine save to thwart Carvajal before Atletico took the lead with 12 minutes remaining.
Arrizabalaga collided with Alvaro Morata as he tried to catch a cross and the ball bounced into Real's goal off the on-loan Chelsea stopper.
Real protested, pleading for a possible foul by Morata, but the officials saw no infringement.
However, Carvajal struck with five minutes to go, rattling a rebound into the top corner after Jude Bellingham's effort was cleared off the line.
“He is a fantastic player, with a tremendous personality, a spectacular character," Ancelotti said of Carvajal. "He has been involved in two goals, demonstrating a presence that, like Mendy, is key for us. He brings a lot to the attack.”
The game tightened in extra time, no longer as end-to-end, neither team able to carve out clear chances with the abandon they managed during the opening 90 minutes.
Eventually, Madrid nosed ahead four minutes from the end, with substitute Joselu heading Carvajal's cross at Savic, who deflected the ball beyond the scrambling Oblak and into his own net.
With Atletico desperate for a leveller, Oblak was caught out of position and Diaz raced forward to beat him to the ball and steered into the empty net from distance to seal the win.
Real now need to rest and recuperate before contesting the final, where they will aim to win their 13th Super Cup.
“There are four days left, but the wear and tear has been terrible," Ancelotti said. "It was very hard. The match was back and forth, very competitive, with two teams fighting a lot. We won because we were more energetic at the end.”
Atletico face Real Madrid three times in under a month, with their next clash quickly arriving in the Copa del Rey next Thursday.
"We have a [chance for] revenge and we need our fans behind us in our stadium," Atletico's Koke told Movistar.
However, Atletico manager Diego Simeone disagreed with the midfielder.
"It's not revenge, in football there is no revenge," said Simeone. "It's a new knock-out game that will be different to today."
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
