Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo scored to secure Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca on Thursday, setting the stage for a Spanish Super Cup final showdown against rivals Barcelona.
Madrid has a chance to redeem themselves after their major Clasico loss in La Liga last October. Bellingham’s pinpoint second-half goal steered them towards triumph in Saudi Arabia.
With strong fan support in Jeddah, Madrid never seemed at risk of losing their advantage. A stoppage-time own goal by Martin Valjent sealed their victory, and Rodrygo added a third goal from close range.
Real Madrid took the initiative against last season’s Copa del Rey finalists, as Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo Goes nearly scored in the opening moments.
Kylian Mbappe sought a penalty after he went to the ground under the challenge from Dani Rodriguez, but the contact appeared minimal and would have been considered a soft call by the referee.
Mallorca, under Jagoba Arrasate, settled into the game effectively, limiting the Spanish and European champions from creating additional clear opportunities in the first half.
Madrid faced a setback early in the second half when Aurelien Tchouameni had to leave the field due to a head injury sustained in a challenge with Cyle Larin, despite his evident frustration at being substituted.
Madrid broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute through Bellingham after the post and Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif kept Rodrygo and Mbappe at bay.
A blistering Madrid move bore fruit when Rodrygo’s header from Vinicius Junior’s cross hit the upright and Mbappe’s effort was parried by the scrambling Greif.
Bellingham expertly positioned himself to slot the rebound past defenders on the goal-line, extending his impressive streak of individual performances.
The England international has eight goals for Madrid in his last 10 games across all competitions.
Mallorca struggled to find a way back in and ended up contributing Madrid’s second goal, when Valjent stretched to cut out a pass but slid the ball into his own goal.
Rodrygo secured the victory in the closing moments, setting the stage for a rematch of last season’s final, which was claimed by Super Cup holders Madrid.
