The Helsinki Olympic Stadium saw a successful event, from which the spectators left with smiles on their faces. The Super Cup still has the flavor of an exhibition match, writes Urheilu’s Jussi Vainikka.
The first ever football Super Cup played in Finland meant for Real Madrid on the one hand the continuation of the old, but on the other hand the beginning of the new.
The team’s starting line-up was almost the same as it used to beat Liverpool in the spring Champions League final. In this case, the old adage that you shouldn’t change a winning team holds true.
In the same way that the world’s top clubs have shuffled their players this summer, there has been no need for that in Madrid. The contrast with, for example, the circus in Barcelona is great.
However, what was new was that the trophy was lifted first after the victory Karim Benzema. The Frenchman was chosen as the new captain when Marcelo left the club. The captain’s bath could not have started better. Benzema lifted the shiny Super Cup upright towards the Helsinki sky.
At the age of 34, Benzema is perhaps the biggest favorite to win the Golden Ball award given to the best player in the world at the year-end gala.
Benzema already reached one milestone in Helsinki. With his goal, he passed the Real legend by Raul Gonzalez in the club’s all-time goal statistics. That’s the ready button for the pub quizzes of the future.
Above, there is nothing else in the statistics Cristiano Ronaldo. In retrospect, it can be stated that Ronaldo’s departure from the club in the summer of 2018 was a significant turning point in Benzema’s career.
Frankfurt’s supporters were impressed
The Super Cup could not be missed in Helsinki on Wednesday. The march of thousands of Eintracht Frankfurt supporters from Kaisaniemi Park to the Olympic Stadium was an impressive sight, which also gathered a lot of onlookers along the streets.
The club is known for its exceptionally loyal fan base, who travel all over Europe to follow their favourites. 8,000 tickets had been sold to Frankfurt supporters at the Olympic Stadium, but the actual number may have been higher.
Something about the importance of supporters in Frankfurt’s club community says that the chairman Peter Fischer arrived in the middle of the march to greet people holding hands.
On the field, there was nothing left for Frankfurt other than a little jostling at most Daichi Kamada for the missed drive-through in the first period. The start of the season has been rough: in the opening round of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich were beaten 1–6.
When talking to Frankfurt supporters, one thing came up often. The most important thing on the trip to Helsinki was not winning, but representing the club and showing support to the players. It is telling that the loudest chant came from the end of Frankfurt only after the end of the match.
The taste of an exhibition match
Inside the gates of the Olympic Stadium, everything was big. The fact that more than half of the capacity of the main stand was reserved for the match at the Olympic Stadium for the needs of the media alone, says a lot about the international attention that the Super Cup has gathered. Reporters had arrived not only from all over Europe, but also from at least South America and Asia.
However, something from the stands and a hint of the grass also remained exhausted, even though Real’s megastars shone on the field. It wasn’t particularly intense or electric, despite the nice atmosphere. Excitement, tension and thus a hotter atmosphere at the renovated Olympic Stadium have been experienced in the Huuhkajie World Cup qualifying games.
The Super Cup, played between the reigning winners of the Champions League and the Europa League, is not an actual goal for any team, but a possible bonus point for the success of the previous season. Chosen as the best player of the match Casemiro spoke after the match about the opening of the Spanish league season, which took place over the weekend with a medal around his neck.
For head coaches For Carlo Ancelotti and To Oliver Glasner three points in the domestic series should be the primary goal of the current week.
Throughout its history, the Super Cup has had the flavor of an exhibition match. Unlike the Champions League and Europa League finals, the Super Cup does not go down as a career highlight for any player.
On the other hand, the Super Cup will remain in the history of the Olympic Stadium, and there is no bigger match in sight. The current stadium is not suitable for the UEFA finals, which are bigger and more intense than the Super Cup. For example, Champions League final stadiums require a capacity of more than 50,000 seats.
Still, a successful event was seen in Helsinki, which the Football Association was definitely worth organizing. In the best case, the successful arrangements will have a positive effect on the application process for the 2025 European Women’s European Championships shared by the Nordic countries.
For the stars of Real Madrid, the stopover in Helsinki offered, in addition to yet another trophy, a little relief in everyday life. Casemiro thanked the media for Finland’s suitable summer weather. It has been excruciatingly hot in Madrid lately.