BARCELONA: Coach Zinedine Zidane said Real Madrid will appeal against Cristiano Ronaldo’s expulsion after their 3-1 win away to Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup.

The 32-year-old, who substituted Karim Benzema, hit back moments after Lionel Messi’s equaliser with a brilliant strike into the top corner to put Real 2-1 up in the 80th minute.

Ronaldo ripped off off his shirt after scoring and provocatively held it up to the crowd and was booked. Two minutes later he was sent off for diving over a tackle Samuel Umtiti and jostled referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea on his way to the touchline.

Zidane said: “We played a great game but I am annoyed by Cristiano’s sending off. Maybe it wasn’t a penalty but the red card is a little harsh. We can’t change it, but we’ll try and make sure he plays on Wednesday.”

Marco Asensio scored Real’s third with a long-range goal in the 90th minute, giving Madrid a healthy advantage as they seek to win a fourth trophy in four months and earn their first Super Cup since 2012.

New Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said his team had not deserved to lose 3-1 because “we played well and had our chances.”

** Neymar scored one goal and hand in the other two on his debut for Paris Saint-Germain in their 3-0 win over Guingamp after being cleared to play following his €222m transfer from Barcelona.

Reports from Brazil said Neymar had also agreed to resolve his dispute with the tax authorities there.

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