Diego Simeone's charges inflicted Real Madrid's first defeat in a continental final for 18 years in Tallinn on Wednesday, with Atletico Madrid winning the UEFA Super Cup.Los Blancos have won the last 13 continental finals they have played in this millennium, yet fell short against their fiercest rivals after extra-time.Atleti had never won a European final against their local rivals, losing two Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016.Not since November 28, 2000 have Real Madrid lost a continental final when they were beaten 2-1 by Boca Juniors in the Intercontinental Cup final.From that date onwards, the Spanish giants won consecutive finals against Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord, Olimpia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, San Lorenzo, Kashima Antlers, Juventus, Manchester United, Gremio and Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Juventus set the tone for what has been a disappointing summer for Real Madrid in the transfer market, and Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup defeat has left the club wondering whether new signings are needed before the deadline.Vinicius Junior arrived after his deal was agreed in 2017, but Thibaut Courtois and Alvaro Odriozola have been the only senior arrivals this window, neither of which help the club replace Ronaldo's goals.Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were all on the Real Madrid president's list earlier in the summer, however, deals have proven too difficult to pull off.With the Premier League transfer window having closed already, prising the Belgian out of Stamford Bridge is likely to prove impossible should Los Blancos make a move before September.One such decision must be made on just which position that the club needs to address in the coming days. There are concerns in attack, highlighted by Diego Costa's sensational performance on Wednesday, but bringing in a goal-scorer of requisite quality will be challenging.Robert Lewandowski has made no secret of his desire to move to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, however, Bayern Munich have no intention of selling him whilst he has a contract which runs until June 2021.Jesus Vallejo will be given a chance in the first team by Julen Lopetegui, and as a result the decision was taken at the start of the summer that no central defensive reinforcements would arrive.However, with the former Real Zaragoza star injured and Los Blancos suffering defensively in the Super Cup, this is a subject which could be up for debate between the former Porto coach and Perez before the window closes.
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