El Clasico score: Real Madrid edge Barcelona in extra time with Fede Valverde's goal to reach Supercopa final

Real Madrid managed to blow two leads, but they didn't relinquish after their third go-ahead goal

Real Madrid won the first El Clasico of 2022, beating rival Barcelona 3-2 in extra time on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Supercopa de España. It was Federico Valverde's goal in the 98th minute that gave Los Blancos the win in Saudi Arabia, sending them into Sunday's final, where they will play either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao.

Carlo Ancelotti's team entered the day as the favorites, and they managed to put themselves in the lead twice, only to blow their leads, including conceding the 2-2 equalizer with seven minutes to go on a fine finish by Ansu Fati.

Barca started off the extra sessions sharper, but Real made Barca pay for their mistakes time and time again to earn the victory over their fiercest rivals. Here's Valverde's winning goal and the wonderful dummy from Vinicius Junior:

The win puts Real back in the final for the first time since 2019-20 when they beat Atletico in penalties. 

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Here are three takeaways from the match:

1. Mistakes costly for Barca

Ahead of the match, I picked the three players who had to step up for Barca to win. None of them stepped up, and that's a big reason why this result is not surprising. But the most important one was Sergio Busquets. The veteran midfielder had to dictate the pace of the game, and although he helped Barca win the battle of possession, he held onto the ball too much and it cost his team dearly.

There were a few examples, but the most obvious and consequential one was what he did in gifting Real the opener. He waited too long to get the ball off his foot 25 minutes in, saw it poked away by Karim Benzema, and then saw the French striker feed Vinicius with a through ball on goal:

He will have nightmares about that one and he will surely look to get rid of the ball a bit quicker moving forward. The lack of awareness really did his team in.

2. Xavi has reasons to feel optimistic

While it wasn't great for Barca, there was some encouraging signs in attack. With new signing Ferran Torres in and Memphis Depay out (he came on later in the game) of the starting XI, Xavi's team managed to pull off 20 shots and 54 percent possession. It means little in the short term as they are out of the cup, but the young pieces such as Gavi, Pedri and even Abde Ezzalzouli really came to play and should give Xavi plenty of reasons to be excited moving forward. 

Sure, that's six El Clasicos without a win, but brighter days are ahead, especially if they continue to make savvy investments, given the financial constraints.

3. Real will enter final as clear favorites

Be it Atleti or Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid enter Sunday's game with a bunch of advantages. Not only are they the best team in the Spanish league, they will enter with an extra day of rest than their counterpart. If you think that is minimal, then you clearly didn't watch the game. Both Barca and Real were gassed, looking for air at the hour-mark. 

Real also didn't make Luka Modric or Viniciius Junior go the full 120, saving them a bit for the final, though Vinicius did go 110 minutes. 

That advantage, allowing more time to heal up, well it won't be the difference. But it will help after the long travel to Saudi Arabia.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 4:28 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Just a few minutes to now...and Real are looking to hold on! 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 4:20 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Decent look there!

Almost an equalizer from Barca's Abde! A low, powerful shot from a quality angle goes right by the left post! 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 4:18 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

First extra time is over

The second is now underway, with Barca having 15 minutes to force penalties or complete a stunning comeback.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 4:05 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

98' GOAL REAL!!!!

Valverde! The Uruguayan comes off the bench and makes it 3-2! A great counter from Los Blancos, and he finishes inside the box after a dummy gets him into space! Just poor from Barca in the middle.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 4:02 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

ET is underway!

The extra session has begun, and it's Barca who look sharper early on. Bu there are some real tired legs and goals to be had. 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 3:52 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

FULL TIME

That's it for regulation! A 2-2 draw that see us go to extra time. Two 15-minute sessions now, and penalty kicks if things are still level.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 3:43 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

84' GOAL BARCA!

It's Ansu Fati off the bench! Level at 2-2! He heads home the equalizer with just seven minutes to go! He was absolutely wide open, with Militao not even close to reacting in time! 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 3:32 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

72' GOAL REAL! BENZEMA!

Los Blancos are up again! 2-1! He fires a beautiful shot that Ter Stegen pushes wide, but he goes into the heart of the box and gets the ball seconds after in front of goal and finishes! 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 3:21 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

More open than ever

The match is a bit of a mess in terms of positioning, and there is plenty of room to exploit. There are some tired legs out there, and it feels like a goal is close. Real are the more dangerous side since Barca's hot start to the second half.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 3:09 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Barca improving

Ansu Fati, Depay and Nico are warming up for Barca as they grow into the match. A renewed confidence in this side right now with quick touches into space. 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:57 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

Real Madrid will need more in the second stanza

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:48 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

And we've reached the half with things level. At the beginning of the match, all the stats favored Real Madrid but following a storming end to the half for Barca, they've leveled out and shot attempts even favor Barca. It's anyone's game as we wait for the second half to begin.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:43 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

41' GOAL That was coming! We're level at 1-1

After quite a pass from Dembele a missed clearance from Real Madrid finds the foot of Luuk de Jong as he keeps his form going for Barcelona.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:33 pm ET · Chuck Booth]

31' Barcelona is growing into it

After not getting a shot on target for the first 27 minutes, Barcelona is finally testing the Real Madrid defense. They'll need more than half-chances to get the result that they want but things are finally moving in the right direction as we get closer to the half.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:27 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

25' GOAL REAL MADRID!

Vinicius Jr!!!! 1-0 to Los Blancos!!! It's a brilliant finish from the young Brazilian! He's on fire! First it is Benzema who steals the ball from Busquets at midfield, and then he plays his strike partner through on goal, with the ex-Flamengo man doing the rest at the left side of the box! 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:23 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

No shots on frame for Barca so far

As suspected, Real are seeing more of the ball with 53 percent, and Barca aren't doing much while having the ball. No shots on frame and lacking creativity going forward. Real seem like the team most likely to score first.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:13 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

12' A chance for Vinicius

The Brazilian gets through down the right and uses his pace to get space on a ball from Modric, but his shot is modest, falling right into the arms of Ter Stegen.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:09 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

7' Great look for Real

Some nice play from Vinicius as he gets deep down the left off a ball from Asensio, and he gives it back to Asensio later with the Spanish attacker firing with one touch that goes way over from the top of the boc. The build up was quality though.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:06 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

5' Open start

Some good back and forth in the opening minutes as Jordi Alba picks up a knock after a dangerous challenge from Dani Carvajal. No foul and play continues. 

[Jan 12, 2022 at 2:00 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

UNDERWAY!!!

[Jan 12, 2022 at 1:33 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

How to watch and odds

• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 12 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
• Location: King Abdullah Sports City -- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 
• TV: ESPN and ESPN Deportes 
• Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 
• Odds: Barca +250; Draw +260; Real +105

[Jan 12, 2022 at 1:19 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Barca's team news

As expected, it's Pique and Araujo at the back. Dani Alves is once again the main over Dest, with the American still dealing with back and groin injuries. But the big development is Ferran getting the start up top with Luuk de Jong and Ousmane Dembele. Ferran just arrived from Manchester City and received approval to play after his registration, getting the green like under 24 hours ago.

[Jan 12, 2022 at 1:16 pm ET · Roger Gonzalez]

Real Madrid's team news

No real shockers there. That is the ideal XI for Carlo Ancelotti as of late, and they'll be ready to role. You can argue Fede Valverde is one of their elite players in the middle, but having Kroos, Modric and Casemiro has been the go-to.