MONACO, Aug 31: European champions Real Madrid won the European Super Cup for the first time Friday beating UEFA Cup holders Feyenoord 3-1 with a superb display of attacking football.

Real, at times almost toying with the Dutch side, dominated the traditional curtain-raiser to the new European season, taking control of the game with two superbly-worked goals in the space of seven first half minutes.

Real’s manager Vicente del Bosque said: “It was an important win that completes a cycle that includes winning the league (in 2001), Champions League and now the Super Cup.

“It is important in our centenary year that we have won another title and started the season a winning note.”

Admittedly the Super Cup is only a showcase occasion, but on this display Real must be favourites to win the Champions League again — and if they should complete the signing of Ronaldo from Inter Milan before Saturday’s transfer deadline they would be an even more awesome proposition for any opponents.

Striker Fernando Morientes, another Real player linked with a transfer although this time away from the club, was left out of their squad and looked far from happy when skipper Fernando Hierro told him to join the other players on the victory podium.

With Zinedine Zidane controlling the middle, Luis Figo having an outstanding game on the wing and man-of-the-match Roberto Carlos powering around on full throttle, Feyenoord were largely reduced to chasing shadows in the Stade Louis II.

It was no surprise, therefore, when Real went ahead after 14 minutes.

Their opening goal followed a flowing move started by Zidane in the centre circle and ended with Patrick Paauwe turning a Roberto Carlos cross into his own net.

In between, Real knocked the ball around with 22-year-old Argentinian Esteban Cambiasso supplying an immaculate final pass for Roberto Carlos’s cross, which the unfortunate Paauwe steered past his own goalkeeper Edwin Zoetebier.

Seven minutes later Roberto Carlos made it 2-0 himself with an unstoppable curling shot after an exchange of passes with Cambiasso, who is tipped for a great future with the club.

Feyenoord, who qualified for this season’s Champions League earlier this week, briefly put Real under some pressure when Pierre van Hooijdonk sweetly struck a 56th minute free-kick to make it 2-1.

But despite some spirited play and long-range attempts at goal, most notably from Japan’s Shinji Ono, who forced Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas into a superb save late on, Feyenoord were decidedly second best and the gulf in class between the UEFA Cup winners and European champions was unbridgeable.

Real quickly re-established their two-goal lead when Guti, unmarked at the far post, headed home a Luis Figo cross on the hour and Raul and Figo went close to adding to the total.