Nine man Madrid beat Valencia to win Super Copa

Jonathan Roorda - 24 août 2008 23:57

Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster

MADRID (SW) - A nine man Real Madrid came back from behind to beat Valencia on away goals and take the Spanish Super Copa.

Valencia had won the first leg at Mestalla 3-2, forcing Madrid to take the initiative at Bernabeu for the second leg.

But a strike from David Silva for 0-1 significantly improved Valencia's chances in the 32nd minute and a direct red card for Rafael van der Vaart after a foul on Mata didn't help things either for the hosts.

Madrid's comeback started four minutes into the second half however. Raul Albiol handled the ball in the penalty area and Ruud van Nistelrooy slammed the following penalty past Hildebrand for 1-1.

When Van Nistelrooy received a second yellow card in the 77th minute though, things seemed to have become more difficult than ever for the Galacticos.

But Sergio Ramos went on to put his side in the lead only five minutes later after an assist from Diarra, and Ruben de la Red made it 3-1 with five minutes to play.

Despite having two players more than their opponents, Valencia seemed unable to put any pressure on their opponents and score a second goal, which would have been enough to force extra time.

Instead, Madrid added a fourth themselves to decide the clash in the 88th minute as Higuain beat Hildebrand for 4-1.

Valencia did find some extra strength and got one back through Morientes one minute later, but Madrid avoided further damage and secured the trophy after three minutes added time.