By: Luis Imana
With tangible superiority on the pitch, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 to become champions of the Spain Super Cupend of his title drought.
Although the Meringues had a squad full of experienced players in those instances, the Catalans showed their hunger for glory from the first minute.
The led by Xavi Hernandez They set the tempo of the game from the start and the first notification came at 12′ with a shot from Robert Lewandowski that hit the post thanks to Thibaut Courtois’ great intervention from under the three sticks.
However the real Madrid The Barça attack couldn’t last forever as Gavi received a pass from ‘Lewa’ in the heart of the box in 33′ to score the first goal of the game with a cross shot.
The first half would have spared Barcelona another joy. In the 45th minute, Gavi retaliated for Lewandowski, helping the Pole widen the difference on the scoreboard. This meant the first goal for ‘9’ against the Meringues as a culé player.
The Catalan team, far from lowering the intensity, continued to attack the current Champions League champions, looking for a goal that would bring them closer to the coveted trophy and they succeeded.
At 69′, Gavi ran down the left wing to send a cross to Pedri, who scored with his left foot on goal, sparking the euphoria of all Barca fans at the King Fahd Stadium.
With Barca 3-0 up, the Meringues attacked and desperately tried to reverse the score. Although Karim Benzema was able to tee off at 93′, it did little to prevent the Catalans from winning.
MVP. Gavi was voted Best Player of the Supercup. Photo: EFE
“Very satisfied and happy. I like the how. When we don’t play well, I’m not entirely happy when we win, but we always think about how. We think of creating superiority. What I imagined and planned worked out perfectly. I’m very happy for my players who have received a lot of unfair criticism and many players have been sacked. That gives a lot of self-confidence and peace of mind for work,” explained the Barcelona coach at a press conference after the game.
In this way, the Catalans are starting 2023 in the best way after clinching their first title of the year. Likewise, the Spanish Super Cup also meant Xavi Hernández’s first trophy since joining the Catalan bench in November 2021.