The Spanish Super Cup is being dominated by goalkeepers. Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois held Real Madrid against Valencia and Germany’s Marc-Andre Ter Stegen responded with another great performance, stopping two penalties in the shootout against Betis (2-4) after a two-goal draw to give Saudi Arabia its first classic in a final.
Xavi Hérnández said in the previous one that the key to the game was going to be who had more of the ball and these indications were noticed in the first half hour of the game, in which Barcelona dominated the ball and stole easily against a Betis that took time to fit on the pitch of the King Fahd stadium.
Of course, he warned of the problems that the Barça team would later have in defense, which was not noticed that it reached the Spanish Super Cup being the least beaten team in domestic competition, with 6 goals conceded, of the five big leagues.
A loose pass behind Frenchman Jules Kounde came close to taking advantage of compatriot Nabil Fekir, but Uruguay’s Ronald Araujo came quick to snatch the ball from behind when Fekir had already passed Germany’s Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Barça reacted quickly, a minute later, and in the 23rd they went ahead on the scoreboard, but the goal did not end up being reflected in the luminous. The goal of the Spanish Pedri was annulled by a millimetric offside of the Brazilian Raphinha, the author of the pass, indicated after the intervention of the technology of the semi-automatic offside, premiered in a Spanish competition in this Super Cup.
Xavi’s party celebrated and their concentration seemed to stay there. The Argentine German Pezzella, head in the first post at the exit of a corner -play of strategy sought in each corner kick of those of Pellegrini as a hole to generate danger- and a low center to the second post, in which only the Spaniard Sergi Roberto could snatch the goal from his compatriot Rodri Sánchez, who easily overcame him during the match, showed that Betis was alive in the semifinal, until Lewandowski appeared in the 40th minute.
The Pole, sanctioned in LaLiga Santander with three games, returned, after fulfilling the first, with desire, although imprecise. Even for his goal he needed two shots and thus culminated a gallop of the Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé caused by a magnificent maneuver of deception in the exit of the ball of Pedri, who, with a movement of body and raising his head, made all the pressure swing in exit of the ball of the Betis to the opposite side where he was going to put the ball to Dembélé.
They wanted to show again those of Pellegrini that they knew how to react to the blows, but, as the Belgian Thibaut Courtois did on Wednesday, Ter Stegen appeared to thwart, in the 45th minute, a shot by Rodri to the first post and another hard by the Brazilian Luiz Henrique.
Barça lived on the wire, unable to control the game as he did in the first half hour of it. For this reason, Xavi turned to Busquets, who was a surprise substitute in which, after leaving in the 63rd minute, he added his official match number 700 with the Barça shirt.
A break in which the coach was whistled, contrasting with the affection he has received since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, where he played and directed matches with Qatari Al Sadd, by removing from the pitch Dembélé, the most active until then and the most loved by the local fans.
Without him on the field, the spark in Barça’s attack was extinguished and before the uncertainty, of an open game but without great opportunities, the magic changed sides and Fekir took command, supported by an electric Luiz Henrique up and willful behind.
A cut of the second inside the area, taking three defenders, led to the equalizer in the 77th minute of Fekir, who finished strong and hard to the first post inside the area. This time Ter Stegen did not appear, but in favor of Betis it took four minutes to repeat history.
Another Barcelona goal cancelled, this time to Lewandowski for a previous offside by Ferran Torres. Then, the verdiblancos had another opportunity to score in the boots of Juan Miranda, after another quality action of Fekir, but, about 24 hours ago, the King Fahd stadium saw an extension.
Ansu Fati could not avoid it in the second minute of the extension, since his shot with the outside after a race to space was stopped by Claudio Bravo, but already in extra time he showed, in a special match for him, since it was against Betis on November 7, 2020 when his ordeal began.and injuries, which despite these physical problems has not lost its star.
He scored in the 93rd minute with a left-footed volley shot, crossed to the second post, which seemed to decide extra time in favor of the Barça team, but Betis did not give up again, like Loren himself, who was the one who equalized the score again.
The striker had not played since last August 20, without being on Pellegrini’s list for the Europa League, 13 minutes in the season… and a heel was invented, back in the small area, to make the 2-2 and maintain the repetition of the script of Real Madrid-Valencia, the other semifinal also decided in the penalty shootout.
And, again, with a goalkeeper as the main protagonist. This Thursday it was the turn of a Ter Stegen who stopped two penalties, Juanmi and William Carvalho, to achieve, together with the final converted by Pedri, that Saudi Arabia has its long-awaited classic in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.
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