UEFA Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt put in a valiant display against Real Madrid but came up short in the UEFA Super Cup after goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema.

Teams

Real: Courtois - Carvajal (Rüdiger 85'), Militao, Alaba, Mendy - Kroos (Tchouameni 85'), Casemiro, Modric (Rodrygo 67') - Valverde (Camavinga 76'), Benzema (c), Vinicius (Ceballos 85')
Unused subs: Lunin, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Vazquez, Diaz
Out: -
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

Frankfurt: Trapp - Toure (Alario 70'), Tuta, N’Dicka - Knauff, Sow, Rode (c) (Götze 59'), Lenz - Lindstrom (Kolo Muani 59'), Kamada - Borre
Unused subs: Grahl, Ramaj, Smolcic, Jakic, Alidou, Hasebe, Chandler, Hauge
Out: Buta (knee), Kostic (not included), Onguene (thigh)
Coach: Oliver Glasner

As it happened

2 - 0

(1 - 0)

Madrid

FINAL

Frankfurt

Champions League
UEFA Super Cup UEFA Super Cup Olympic Stadium, Helsinki

90'

+ 3

Full-time

Not to be for Frankfurt as they come up short against Real Madrid in Helsinki. But the Eagles have got a big season ahead of them as they prepare to take to the Champions League stage for the first time - one of five Bundesliga clubs in the pot for next week's draw. Eintracht return to league action on Saturday with a trip to Hertha Berlin.

Full-time

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Lucas Alario

90'

Added time

Three more minutes to be played.

85'

Substitution

Antonio Rüdiger

Dani Carvajal

85'

Substitution

Aurelien Tchouameni

Toni Kroos

85'

Substitution

Dani Ceballos

Vinicius

82'

Comes to nothing

Götze clips it in looking for the run of Ndicka but he can't keep it in.

82'

Free-kick

Camavinga goes through the back of Alario and Eintracht have a free-kick about 30 yards out.

81'

Kroos wide

Knauff lose the ball on the edge of the Real box and the Spanish side counter. It's two against two with Kroos arriving from deep. The former Bayern and Leverkusen man has a crack from 20 yards but drags well wide.

76'

Substitution

Eduardo Camavinga

Federico Valverde

75'

Looking ahead

Fifteen minutes for Eintracht to get back into this. Regardless of the outcome, this will give them confidence after some strong spells going into the club's first ever Champions League campaign. They'll discover their opponents for the group stage next week.

69'

All or nothing

Glasner goes for broke. A third striker on. One of the back three sacrificed.

69'

Substitution

Lucas Alario

Almamy Touré

67'

Substitution

Rodrygo

Luka Modric

65'

Real double up

Vinicius picks up the ball down the left and cuts the ball back to Benzema, who pulled away on the edge of the box. It's a first-time finish with Trapp unsighted by Ndicka in front of him.

65'

Karim Benzema

GOAL!

2:0

64'

Knauff!

Space opens up for Knauff on the right as he's picked out by Kamada. The young winger drives inside and the Madrid defence seemingly parts to let him through. He goes for the outside-of-the-boot finish on his stronger right but Courtois is able to hold.

61'

Off the bar

Much of this game has passed Casemiro by but he got the assist for Alaba and now rattles the crossbar with an effort from 20 yards.

58'

Double change

Eintracht boss Oliver Glasner decides it's time. Rode passes on the armband to Sow as he's replaced by World Cup winner Götze. Lindstrom also makes way for Kolo Muani, who scored on his debut for the club against Bayern last Friday. An attacking switch by Frankfurt.

58'

Substitution

Randal Kolo Muani

Jesper Lindström

58'

Substitution

Mario Götze

Sebastian Rode

54'

Trapp saves!

Good reactions from the Eintracht keeper as a Vinicius effort from 10 yards takes a wicked deflection, but Trapp adjusts well to make the save.

54'

Final ball

We saw in the first half that Eintracht can find that final ball but just haven't been able to put it away. So far this half it's the final ball that's been lacking or gone astray.

46'

No changes

No substitutions but Real look to have reverted to the formation they used at the start with Valverde out to the right.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 1

Teams returning

There's been plenty of players out warming up during the break. Are we about to see some changes?

45'

+ 1

Half-time

It's advantage Real after 45 minutes in Helsinki but that only tells you how close it's been. Eintracht enjoyed some really good spells of attacking possession and have had a few chances, but it's the Spanish side who lead after Alaba found space at a corner. Still a long way to go, though.

Half-time

42'

Momentum shift

Things have suddenly swung Real's way in Helsinki as Trapp makes a save from Casemiro. Frankfurt were on top but now look to be trying to get to half-time.

41'

Benzema wide

Good chance for the Real skipper as Kroos picks him out in the D. He takes a touch and it sits up nicely, but Benzema drills it wide.

Alaba pounces

Just moments after Trapp made an excellent save against Vinicius, the corner leads to Eintracht's downfall. It's headed back across, where Casemiro nods it down by the post for former Bayern man Alaba to tap home unchallenged.

© Alex Grimm/Getty Images

37'

David Alaba

GOAL!

1:0

36'

Still tight

There hasn't been a goalless first half in the UEFA Super Cup since 2010. So far it's been Eintracht who have looked more likely to strike.

30'

Corner

Eintracht again stream forward with a couple of passes. Knauff is up against Mendy on the right as he looks to cross but wins a corner out of it.

28'

Lenz down

All eyes on the ball from the Eintracht man and ex-Leverkusen full-back Dani Carvajal as the pair go up for a header, but it's Lenz who comes off worse.

Benzema under control so far

© IMAGO/HMB Media/IMAGO/HMB-Media

24'

Slick again

Super touch in midfield from Rode to spin a marker and set Eintracht away. Lindstrom races forward with it and sees Lenz to the left. He tries to curl a low cross in to Borre running in at the far post, but the attempt is blocked. Good stuff yet again by the Europa League holders.

22'

So far, so good

Bar that Vinicius chance, Frankfurt have looked solid and have also grown into this game. They're starting to look more confident on the ball.

17'

Tuta to the rescue!

What a block by the Brazilian! Benzema moves the ball left to Vinicius, who has a free shot at goal and bends it past a helpless Trapp, but the Madrid man hadn't reckoned on his compatriot Tuta sliding in behind to make a crucial block and keep things level.

14'

Kamada!

This time Courtois's save does count and it's a big one to deny Kamada as he gets onto the end of a defence-splitting ball from the outside of Lindstrom's boot after Knauff dispossessed Mendy. It's on his weaker left foot and a bit too close to the goalkeeper, but that's the first chance of the game and it's gone to the Bundesliga club.

12'

Lindstrom offside

First time Eintracht go direct and it almost works as Borre turns a pass into feet around the corner with Lindstrom running in behind. His shot is saved by Courtois before the flag goes up. Remember UEFA are trialling semi-automated offsides tonight, but this was signalled by the English assistant on the pitch.

9'

Tidy from Kamada

Modric is dispossessed in midfield and Kamada comes away with it, nimbly skipping past a couple of challenges before turning to keep possession. A confident move by the Japanese playmaker, who looks to be playing a bit deeper tonight.

6'

Tentative

First sign of Eintracht using the ball and crossing the halfway line, but Ndicka is forced to go all the way back to Trapp in goal.

5'

Settling in

Perhaps no surprise to see Frankfurt allowing Madrid the ball in the early stages as they find their feet and look for any potential holes to break into.

1'

Kick-off!

We're under way in Helsinki. Can Eintracht bring yet more European silverware back to Germany?

Kick-off!

Teams in the tunnel

The players are about to emerge at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. Kick-off less than five minutes away as Sebastian Rode carries out the Europa League trophy he lifted aloft in Seville in May.

© IMAGO/Revierfoto/IMAGO/Revierfoto

Knauff among stars

Frankfurt's Ansgar Knauff has just received his Europa League Young Player of the Season award from 2021/22. He was presented along with Champions League counterpart Vinicius and the competition's Player of the Season, Karim Benzema. A proud moment for the on-loan Dortmund youngster.

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner/IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Heavy defeats to historic losses

Tonight’s game is Madrid’s 73rd competitive encounter with German opposition. No club from outside of Spain has beaten them more times than Bayern Munich, but there’s plenty other defeats in there too, including a historic thrashing by Kaiserslautern and a record four goals from Robert Lewandowski. Check them all out in the link below.

Alaba the Bundesliga legend

One of Real’s key men nowadays is also about as legendary as you get in the Bundesliga. Alaba has lifted the Meisterschale 10 times – second only to Thomas Müller – and racked up almost 300 appearances in the German top flight. The Austrian was part of Bayern’s 2013 treble and 2020 sextuple-winning teams, and won his third Champions League crown last season in his first year with Real.

Real Madrid, made in the Bundesliga

Seven current Madrid players, plus coach Carlo Ancelotti during a spell as Bayern boss, have plied their trade in the Bundesliga in Toni Kroos, Antonio Rüdiger, Jesus Vallejo (an ex-Frankfurt man), David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola. The Spanish club have a proud history of great former Bundesliga players, as well as the aforementioned Heynckes as coach. From the 1970s through to the present day, there’s often been a player or two who honed their skills in the Bundesliga. And we think our Real Madrid XI, made in the Bundesliga would give any side a good go.

© DFL

The Champions League-winning house that a Bundesliga legend rebuilt

That 1960 triumph was Real’s fifth in as many seasons in the European Cup. They would win it again in 1966 before a decades-long drought that could only be fixed by some German engineering. In stepped Jupp Heynckes, himself a former Eintracht coach. The likeable German boss only spent a season at the Santiago Bernabeu but did lead Los Blancos to European glory once again in 1998, paving the way for their now unrivalled Champions League success. We took a look at the Real history built again by a Bundesliga legend. Check out the feature on the website or in the app.

© imago sportfotodienst/imago/Team 2

Remembering a classic

We doubt many of you remember the only previous time Eintracht have met Real Madrid in competitive action. Well, as ever with Frankfurt in Europe, it was a spectacular affair in their only prior European Cup/Champions League campaign. And they went all the way to the final where they met Los Blancos at Hampden Park in Glasgow on 18 May 1960. The game was the first time Real had faced German opposition, boasts the record for the largest attendance of a European final (127,621) and is also the highest-scoring European Cup final as the Spaniards prevailed 7-3 thanks to four Ferenc Puskas goals and a hat-trick from Alfredo Di Stefano. Richard Kress had given Eintracht the lead. Erwin Stein got a second-half brace.

Vamos Eintracht!

The Eagles boast a strong record against Spanish opposition, with six wins out of 10 games in UEFA competition. That includes their victories over Betis and Barcelona last season. Filip Kostic netted twice at the Camp Nou in the quarter-finals, either side of a Borre thunderbolt that knocked the wind out of the Barca sails. The Colombian striker is now joined in the squad by an old Argentinian teammate from River Plate, Lucas Alario. Eintracht’s South American goalgetters are targeting a big season together again in Frankfurt.

How did we get here?

The UEFA Super Cup is one of the hardest competitions to qualify for as you must either win the Europa League or Champions League. Eintracht did the former in sensational style last season, going through the campaign unbeaten and seeing off the likes of Real Betis, Barcelona, West Ham United and ultimately Rangers in the final in Seville. They’re the third team to win the competition without a single defeat and will now compete in the Champions League for the first time ever this season. Real won that last year for a record 14th time by beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final.

Frankfurt team news

Oliver Glasner makes two changes from the side that faced Bayern on the opening night of the Bundesliga. The Austrian opts for Daichi Kamada – a player who has always served Frankfurt well in Europe – in place of Mario Götze. Christopher Lenz replaces Filip Kostic on the left, with the Serbian not involved tonight as he negotiates a move away, as Eintracht confirmed yesterday. Lenz stepped up and converted the first penalty in May's Europa League final shootout for Frankfurt.

Real team news

Ex-Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti fields three ex-Bundesliga players in Real’s first starting XI of the 2022/23 campaign as Dani Carvajal and David Alaba begin in defence, with Toni Kroos in the usual midfield triumvirate. Former Frankfurt defender Jesus Vallejo is among the subs with summer signing Antonio Rüdiger

Frankfurt subs

Grahl, Ramaj, Smolcic, Jakic, Kolo Muani, Alidou, Hasebe, Alario, Chandler, Hauge, Götze

Frankfurt XI

Trapp - Toure, Tuta, N’Dicka - Knauff, Sow, Rode (c), Lenz - Lindstrom, Kamada - Borre

Real subs

Lunin, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Vazquez, Tschouameni, Ceballos, Rodrygo, Rüdiger, Diaz, Camavinga

Real XI

Courtois - Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy - Kroos, Casemiro, Modric - Valverde, Benzema (c), Vinicius

Watch: The best Bundesliga goals from 5 ex-Real players

Super Cup debutants

This is unquestionably a special day in Eintracht Frankfurt’s history. They’d won European silverware before, back in 1980 with the UEFA Cup, but this is their first appearances in the UEFA Super Cup against the Champions League holders after winning last season’s Europa League. They are the 39th different club to contest this fixture and the fifth from the Bundesliga. However, only Bayern have previously lifted it (in 2013 and 2020). It would make Eintracht the 25th club to take home the UEFA Super Cup. Real are making their eighth appearances and looking to win it for the fifth time.

© Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti:

“I watched the Eintracht game against Bayern and we won’t be fooled by that. They deserved to win the Europa League because they beat some very strong sides. They’re a lively side who play high-intensity football. We know all about them and if we’re to beat them we're going to have to fight, battle and play well. We're in good shape to do just that because we’ve trained well and are feeling really confident."

© EMMI KORHONEN/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images

Eintracht striker Rafael Borre:

"It's a huge game for us. It's a final. We've got the chance to make history again and to win another trophy. You have to enjoy moments like this. We need to be focused and strong. We need to defend compactly and be clinical when we have moments on the break. Then we'll have a chance."

© IMAGO/Siu Lau/IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp:

"The match is hugely significant for us because it's the reward for our performances. We'll be testing ourselves against arguably the best team in Europe and we have the chance to show what we can do. We're looking forward to it."

© Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner:

"Real are very comfortable on the ball, they sometimes attack very high. We want to play out from a compact defence and play with confidence, great passion, great willingness to run and great spirit. Of course, we also want to be dangerous from set pieces. It will be decided by details. We need to handle their strengths as best we can. I’m very confident that we can cause Real problems. The aim is clear: we want to return to Frankfurt with another trophy."

© IMAGO/Revierfoto/IMAGO/Revierfoto

2:56

Watch: Eintracht's best Bundesliga goals since 2000

Welcome!

Welcome along to coverage of Eintracht Frankfurt's historic UEFA Super Cup encounter with Real Madrid tonight in Helsinki. Kick-off is at 9pm CEST.

© IMAGO/Lehtikuva/Roni Rekomaa

Latest

"I want to be the final piece of the jigsaw that the team has been missing," Götze said after joining Frankfurt from PSV Eindhoven in the summer. The 30-year-old, who lifted five Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and famously scored the goal that won Germany the 2014 FIFA World Cup, also spoke of his admiration for Eintracht's unbeaten Europa League-winning campaign that accounted for the likes of Barcelona, West Ham and Rangers. Despite starting Götze in Frankfurt's first two competitive fixtures of 2022/23 - a DFB Cup first-round victory over Magdeburg and Bundesliga Matchday 1 loss for Bayern - head coach Oliver Glasner rotateS his side in the Finnish capital. Daichi Kamada, who scored twice against Magdeburg comeS back into the starting line-up, but Randal Kolo Muani, impressed with a consolation goal from the bench in the 6-1 loss to Bayern, will have to wait his chance again. New signing Hrvoje Smolcic is among the subs after serving a domestic ban carried over from the Croatian top flight. Argentine striker Lucas Alario is another option if needed from the bench, but the club have confirmed that Filip Kostic will not be involved as he negotiates a move away.

A Real Madrid team spearheaded by Karim Benzema lost to Götze's Dortmund in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Almost 10 years on, the 34-year-old - a 2018 World Cup winner with France - is still the focal point of attack for the most successful club team in Champions League history. He top scored with 15 goals as Real beat Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Liverpool on their way to winning their 14th European Cup last season. Ex-Bayern head coach Carlo Ancelotti was the brains behind the success, ably assisted by former Bundesliga players David Alaba (Bayern), Dani Carvajal (Bayer Leverkusen) and Toni Kroos (Bayern and Leverkusen). The 2021/22 La Liga winners have since added former Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart centre-back Antonio Rüdiger to their ranks, but haven't always had the best of luck against German opposition, losing UEFA competition games to Bayern, Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg and Kaiserslautern. The Super Cup marks their first competitive fixture of the new season.

Watch: Frankfurt's goal-hungry Eagles: Rafael Borre and Lucas Alario

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Match stats

• Frankfurt are only the third team to go unbeaten on their way to winning the Europa League.
• Götze has three assists in eight meetings with Real.
• Kostic was the 2021/22 Europa League's top assister, best for crosses from open play and Player of the Tournament.
• Victory in the Europa League final means Frankfurt haven't lost in UEFA competition since a 2019/20 Europa League last-16 reverse to Basel.
• The Eagles have won six of their 10 games against La Liga clubs overall, losing only one - a 1960 European Cup final defeat to Madrid in their first meeting with Spanish opposition.
• Real's Alaba, Carvajal, Kroos and Rüdiger made 569 Bundesliga appearances between them.