Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the final.
Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, both of Los Blancos, scored in the triumph.
Rodrygo sped past two players before passing to Modric, who rifled a shot into the back of the goal in the 38th minute to give Real the lead.
After the video assistance referee recognized a handball from Yeray Alvarez inside the box, Benzema doubled his advantage with a penalty in the second half.
Eder Militao was sent off for a goalline handball three minutes from time, reducing Real to ten men.
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois brilliantly stopped Raul Garcia’s penalty kick with his left foot in the dying seconds.
“You can never get tired of winning,” Modric told a news conference.
“I enjoy the same every title, when you play at Real Madrid you have to win. It’s part of the DNA of this club. Fans expect the most of you. So now we have to look forward to win more and again in the next months.”
Following two thrilling semifinals, the final was a one-sided affair, with Real Madrid thoroughly dominating and never posing a serious threat.
The 30,000 spectators at Riyadh’s King Fahd Stadium, which was at 50 percent capacity owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, overwhelmingly supported Real.
Saudi Arabian fans backed France striker Karim Benzema, but it was Modric’s night.
Carlo Ancelotti had claimed in the build-up to the game that his club was the epitome of a counter-attacking unit, and Modric and striker Rodrygo would have done their coach proud with a brilliantly executed counter to open the scoring on Sunday.
Benzema has made a habit of scoring against Athletic and doubled the advantage from the spot with his 18th goal in 26 games against the Basque side, the most he has scored against one team in his career.
It was the 12th time Real had won the Spanish Super Cup, having claimed both editions of the competition in Saudi Arabia. Last year’s edition, won by Athletic, was held in Spain due to the pandemic.