Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 3-2 at the Nou Camp to win the Spanish Super Cup last night, thanks to a Lionel Messi double and a goal from Pedro. Despite first half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and a miserly defence that kept things tight in the second half, Real Madrid could not hold on despite playing the whole of the last 15 minutes with just ten men after Dani Carvajal’s sending-off. “It was a crazy game,” Xavi said. “We knew we would have problems. Mourinho is known for his defensive tactics but we deserved this victory.”
Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 3-2 at the Nou Camp to win the Spanish Super Cup last night, thanks to a Lionel Messi double and a goal from Pedro.
Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 3-2 at the Nou Camp to win the Spanish Super Cup last night, thanks to a Lionel Messi double and a goal from Pedro.
The La Liga champions took an early lead through Xavi’s deflected strike but Cristiano Ronaldo levelled after 20 minutes with an acrobatic volley from Angel Di Maria’s cross.
Mesut Ozil then made it 2-1 for Real before half time after being set up by Karim Benzema’s pass as Barcelona looked tired following their midweek loss against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga action.
Despite first half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and a miserly defence that kept things tight in the second half, Real Madrid could not hold on despite playing the whole of the last 15 minutes with just ten men after Dani Carvajal’s sending-off.
The game was played in front of a packed Camp Nou and despite first half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and a miserly defence that kept things tight in the second half, Real Madrid could not hold on despite playing the whole of the last 15 minutes with just ten men after Dani Carvajal’s sending-off.
Barcelona scored three goals in the second half to win their first trophy since 2011.
“It was a crazy game,” Xavi said.
“It was a crazy game,” Xavi said. “We knew we would have problems, but not as many as this Barcelona Lifts the Trophy.”
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admitted he had been worried by Mourinho’s defensive tactics. “I thought Real Madrid would play more on the counter-attack and try to take advantage of our mistakes,” he said. “But they defended very well and made it difficult for us.”
The victory was sweet revenge for Gerard Pique who missed last year’s final through injury, while Messi scored his first goal in official competition since September after returning from injury lay-offs himself.
“We knew we would have problems. Mourinho is known for his defensive tactics but we deserved this victory.”
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has praised his team’s performance against Real Madrid in the Super Cup, saying it was well deserved.
“We knew we would have problems,” he said after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Real Madrid at Mestalla on Wednesday night. “Mourinho is known for his defensive tactics but we deserved this victory.”
Xavi was named man of the match by UEFA and said: “This award is very important because it shows that I’m still doing things right at 32 years old.”
He added: “I feel better than ever before physically and mentally.”
Messi’s first goal came after his penalty was saved but he scored from the rebound before Pedro doubled Barca’s lead in the 27th minute with a fine volley.
Messi’s first goal came after his penalty was saved but he scored from the rebound before Pedro doubled Barca’s lead in the 27th minute with a fine volley.
Real Madrid had been unbeaten in their last nine games against Barca but their hopes of ending that run were dashed by two set-piece goals at Camp Nou on Sunday night.
Barcelona knows how to win these games and they showed it again against Real as Messi took center stage for them once again.
Real pulled one back through Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored with a stunning free-kick before he was forced off injured. Benzema equalized just before half-time after latching onto a pass by Ronaldo.
- Real pulled one back through Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored with a stunning free-kick before he was forced off injured. Benzema equalized just before half-time after latching onto a pass by Ronaldo.
Messi then struck again in the 50th minute with an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Iker Casillas after being set up by Thiago Alcantara, who had come on for Cesc Fabregas.
Messi then struck again in the 50th minute with an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Iker Casillas after being set up by Thiago Alcantara, who had come on for Cesc Fabregas.
Thiago’s arrival on the field was met by whistles from Real Madrid fans but he showed his worth as Barcelona built on their lead and took control of possession before setting up Messi for his second goal of the night.
Conclusion
Barcelona showed that they are still the team to beat in Spain, despite Real Madrid’s attempts to overtake them as kings of Europe. The Catalan club will now look forward to their first La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday at Camp Nou in front of over 60,000 fans who will expect nothing less than victory after such an impressive display against their biggest rivals.
