Real Madrid wins Super Cup 2-1 over Manchester United

Real Madrid eased to a 2-1 victory over Manchester United to win the Super Cup on Tuesday, with goals in each half from Casemiro and Isco. Cristiano Ronaldo watched most of the end-to-end action from the bench while his teammates outclassed United on a hot night in Skopje, Macedonia.

Casemiro, a Brazilian, hit the bar with a header and fired a shot over the top before scoring in the 24th minute. He slid in for a left-foot finish, served up by Dani Carvajal. Isco extended the lead for Zinedine Zidane’s European champions with a cool shot in the 52nd, after Gareth Bale helped him run through United’s defense.

Making amends for an earlier miss, United’s new striker Romelu Lukaku made it 2-1 in the 62nd, beating goalkeeper Keylor Navas after Navas had blocked a powerful shot from Nemanja Matic.

“Key to winning this game was two things we do well,” Zidane said. “We hold and control well, and we finish our chances at the right moment.” He added: “The second half was not great, but the first half was spectacular. We have talented players who want to win every challenge.”

The Super Cup matches the previous season’s Champions League winners against the Europa League holders.