Barcelona's Young Talents Shine in Super Cup Victory Against Madrid
- World Soccer Today -
Barcelona emerged victorious in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a score of 0-3.
The success was driven by the performances of Gavi, Pedri, and Lewandowski, who scored the goals and were instrumental in the match.
The trio was unstoppable during the game.
Barcelona's victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final was inspired by the performance of teenager Gavi, who scored a goal and assisted in the goals of Robert Lewandowski and Pedri Gonzalez.
It was one of the best performances from the team in recent years against their arch-rivals.
With Xavi, a former successful player at Barcelona, returning as coach in November 2021 and the team undergoing heavy spending, this victory is a sign that his project is on the right track.
Madrid's Karim Benzema scored a late goal, but the team has been struggling since the World Cup break and are now three points behind Barcelona in La Liga.
This was also the first final defeat for Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti since 2014 and resulted in Barcelona winning the Super Cup for a record 14th time.
In the Spanish Super Cup final, Xavi made a key tactical decision by deploying four central midfielders, with Gavi moving inside from his starting position on the left and frequently getting past Madrid's right-back Dani Carvajal.
Madrid's Toni Kroos played as the deepest midfielder, but was overwhelmed by the energetic play of Pedri, who was supported by Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets.
Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had a strong performance in the semi-final against Valencia, made an impressive save early on to deny Lewandowski, but was unable to prevent the other goals.
On the other hand, Madrid's Benzema narrowly missed a goal after finding space in the box to connect with Ferland Mendy's cross.
Barcelona took the lead in the match when Busquets intercepted a poor pass from Antonio Rudiger and passed the ball to Lewandowski, who then set up Gavi for the goal.
Gavi and Pedri were involved in a series of quick passes, which led to the 18-year-old Pedri scoring the second goal, assisted by Lewandowski.
Gavi then set up the third goal by passing the ball to Lewandowski after receiving it from De Jong.
The team's dominance in the game reminded fans of Barcelona's 4-0 win over Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu last season, which was considered as one of the best moments of Xavi's time as a player with Barcelona until now.
Outstanding performance
Gavi, who was awarded the Golden Boy award in 2022, was the standout player of the game, showing that Barcelona has a bright future with him and other young talents.
Madrid's own young player, Vinicius Junior, was effectively neutralized by Ronald Araujo, who played at right-back.
Dembele had an opportunity to increase Barcelona's lead early in the second half when Alejandro Balde got past Carvajal and passed the ball to him, but Courtois saved the shot.
Courtois also saved a shot by Lewandowski from a tight angle soon after.
On the other hand, Barcelona's goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was not challenged much until the 70th minute, when he saved a shot from Kroos, by then his team had already scored their third goal.
The third goal was scored by Pedri, who also won the Golden Boy award in 2021, assisted by Gavi and Lewandowski.
The only negative for Barcelona was a late goal by Benzema, but overall this victory will boost Xavi's confidence, who will be ultimately judged by his team's performance in major competitions, like champions league where they have been eliminated this season.
