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A first half brace from Raul Garcia was enough to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 victory over holders Real Madrid in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup.
In a frantic start to the game, the Basque outfit did not give Los Blancos any chance to settle in and took a deserved lead in the 18th minute.
Lucas Vazquez was lost possession in a dangerous area and Dani Garcia capitalized, playing Raul Garcia in with an incisive through pass.
The former Atletico Madrid man made no mistake from close range, slotting past Thibaut Courtois to put Bilbao 1-0 up.
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Raul Garcis missed a good chance soon after, flashing wide when he should have tested the Real Madrid goalkeeper. But he got on the scoresheet again seven minutes before halftime.
Vazquez was once more at fault, committing a clumsy foul on Inigo Martinez in the area. Garcia stepped up to send Courtois the wrong way from 12 yards out.
Despite being two goals ahead, Athletic Bilbao continued to mount pressure and had several chances to go three up.
Real Madrid came close through Marco Asensio - who hit the post twice - before they halved the deficit through Karim Benzema in the 73rd minute.
A long VAR check followed but the goal was given after the Frenchman was deemed to be onside. He had the ball in the back of the net again soon after, only for it to be pulled back for offside.
There was late drama at La Rosaleda, as Real Madrid cranked up the pressure. Sergio Ramos headed just wide, while a late penalty call for handball was waved off by the officials.
Ultimately, Athletic Bilbao held on for the win to give Marcelino the first victory of his managerial spell at the club. Up next for Los Leones will be the clash against Barcelona in the final at the Estadio de La Cartuga on Sunday.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Match-winner Raul Garcia steps up to down Real Madrid
Throughout his career, Raul Garcia has shown a penchant for a Jekyll and Hyde persona on the field.
The 34-year-old is as capable of performing at an optimum, as he is at making rash and costly decisions almost in equal measure.
The last time Bilbao faced Real Madrid, it was a case for the former for Garcia, as he was sent off for two bookable offenses under 13 minutes.
In Thursday's fixture, Raul Garcia brought out his best qualities to the fore and proved to be a handful for the Los Blancos defense.
In addition to his brace, the LaLiga veteran won six aerial duels, had 41 touches, and made one key pass in what was a vintage performance.
#4 Dream El Clasico scuppered
Barcelona's victory over Real Sociedad on Wednesday set the stage for a potential meeting with Real Madrid in the final.
El Clasico is unarguably the biggest club game in the world of football and every potential staging of the game is widely anticipated.
The Spanish football authorities had gone to great lengths to not put the two arch-rivals together in the draw, making El Clasico final a possibility.
With the Catalans having done their part, a victory for Real Madrid would have got the world talking about the latest instalment of El Clasico.
However, Athletic Bilbao had other ideas and put up a comprehensive display to progress to the final.
#3 Athletic Bilbao end long wait for victory over Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao came into this clash having not won any of their last 22 games against Real Madrid in all competitions.
It was not for want of trying though, as the Basque side almost always matched the Bernabeu outfit in most of their clashes.
This win, in addition to being Marcelino's first at the club, is also the first time Athletic Bilbao have registered a victory over Real Madrid in over five years.
Before this, their last win against the LaLiga champions came when club legend Aritz Aduriz scored the sole goal in a 1-0 victory in March 2015.
#2 Poor run continues for Real Madrid
Real Madrid had a December to remember, as a run of five consecutive league wins helped them surge up the table to enter the title discussions.
However, they ended the year on a poor note, drawing 1-1 away to Elche and that has set the tone in recent weeks.
Real Madrid came into this fixture against a Bilbao side on a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions. But Madrid were toothless in their goalless draw with Osasuna last weekend.
It was more of the same against Marcelino's side and although they stepped up the pressure in the dying stages, it was a case of too little too late for Zinedine Zidane's men.
Real Madrid have failed in their hopes of retaining the Spanish Super Cup and must now turn their attention to getting back on track in other competitions.
Their quest will start start with the trip to Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey next Wednesday.
#1 Eden Hazard fails to make a mark yet again
Having recently returned to full fitness, Eden Hazard was handed a start against Osasuna last weekend but had one of the poorest games of his career.
Granted, there were logistics problems in getting to Pamplona, while the field itself was not in the best condition but Hazard had another opportunity to make a mark against Athletic Bilbao.
The former Chelsea man, however, failed to take it. Despite getting into good positions and creating some chances, it was another sub-standard performance from the 30-year-old.
He was ultimately substituted for Vinicus Junior in the 67th minute.
Hazard came to Real Madrid to take his game to the next level, but so far, he has not hit the heights expected of him.
Injuries have played a part no doubt but for a player of his caliber, bigger things are expected from the Belgium international.
