The UEFA Super Cup is usually the season-opening fixture, where the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League play against each other. From 1972 to 1992, the competition was called the “European Super Cup” and was contested between the winners of the European Cup and the UEFA Cup. The competition has been won the most times by Barcelona and AC Milan. In this article, we will look at the five biggest victories in the UEFA Super Cup.
#5 Real Madrid 3 – 1 Feyenoord, 2002
Real Madrid faced Feyenoord in the 2002 UEFA Super Cup, having won the UCL against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Real Madrid went with their first choice eleven which included a world-class forward line consisting of Raul, Guti, Figo and Zidane.
Real Madrid opened the scoring after a cross from Roberto Carlos was deflected in for a Feyenoord own goal. Carlos doubled Madrid’s lead minutes later with a neat finish on his right foot. Feyenoord hit back as Van Hooijdonk scored a superb free-kick for in the 56th minute. But Guti finished off a neat counter-attack in the 60th minute and Madrid won the game comfortably.
#4 AC Milan 3 – 1 Sevilla, 2007
In 2007, AC Milan avenged Liverpool for the loss in Istanbul by winning the UCL final. Sevilla won their first UEFA trophy in 2006 when they won the Europa League. They defended their crown in 2007 and faced a star-studded AC Milan team in the UEFA Super Cup.
Sevilla took the lead in the 14th minute through a header from Renato. Milan failed to turn up in the first half and were trailing at halftime. In the second half, Inzaghi scored the equalizer and then a fine strike from Jankulovski gave Milan the lead. In the end, Kaka missed a penalty but headed in the rebound to give Milan a record fifth Super Cup victory.
#3 Atletico Madrid 4 – 2 Real Madrid, 2018
In 2018, Atlético Madrid defeated Marseille and won the Europa League after being eliminated in the group stage of UCL. Real Madrid won a record-extending 13th European Cup/UCL after defeating Liverpool. This fixture generated a lot of curiosity as everybody was eager to see how Real Madrid will play without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both the Madrid clubs shared the spoils at the end of 90 minutes. But in extra-time, Atlético Madrid completely outplayed Real Madrid, with Saul and Koke scoring decisive goals. This loss was a sign of things to come for Real Madrid, as they endured a disastrous 2018-19 season.
#2 Sevilla 3 – 0 Barcelona, 2006
Sevilla announced their arrival as a European heavyweight in 2006, first by winning the Europa League, then beating Barcelona in style. This is one of the biggest victories in the UEFA Super Cup since Barcelona had legends such as Puyol, Deco and Ronaldinho in their ranks. But the Sevilla playing XI for the Super Cup had several future stars such as Dani Alves, Jesus Navas and Adriano.
Sevilla played on the counter and were happy to let Barcelona enjoy possession. Renato and Kanoute scored in the first half, which allowed Sevilla to sit back in the second half. Barcelona could not breach Sevilla’s defense and endured a 3-0 defeat.
#1 Atletico Madrid 4 – 1 Chelsea, 2012
Topping the list of biggest victories in the UEFA Super Cup is Atlético Madrid’s 2012 performance against Chelsea. A hat-trick from Radamel Falcao resulted in a thrashing victory for Atlético Madrid.
Falcao’s first goal was a sublime flick, while the second one was pure finesse. He completed his hat-trick with a neat low drive from a tight angle. In the second half, Miranda scored Atlético’s fourth goal to put the tie to bed. Cahill scored a consolation goal, but it was not enough to save Chelsea’s blushes.
