Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday in Saudi Arabia with a convincing 3-1 victory over Real Madrid, giving them their first trophy under coach Xavi Hernandez.
The Catalans put up one of their best displays in years against their fierce Clasico opponents, inspired by Gavi, who scored himself and assisted goals for Robert Lewandowski and Pedri Gonzalez.
Gavi: ⚽🅰️🅰️
Pedri: ⚽The Golden Boys put on a show against Real Madrid 💫 pic.twitter.com/fZDo8WA0sZ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 15, 2023
Xavi left Barca in November 2021 after enjoying great success as a player there.
After a summer of lavish investment, this convincing victory is a sign that his project is headed in the right direction.
Karim Benzema netted a late consolation for Madrid, who have been far from their best since the World Cup break and also fell three points behind Barcelona in La Liga last weekend.
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat in a final since 2014, with Los Blancos surrendering the trophy they earned last season to Barcelona, who have now won the Super Cup a record 14 times.
Will This Win Give Barca More Confidence?
“We knew it was a chance we had to take, we have lived through an era of changes at the club and in the dressing room, and this will reinforce us to keep fighting for more titles,” Barca captain Sergio Busquets said.
Xavi crucially deployed four central midfielders, with 18-year-old Gavi drifting inside off a nominal starting position on the left and frequently giving Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal the slip.
Barcelona broke the deadlock when Busquets pressed well after a loose Antonio Rudiger pass, leading to Lewandowski feeding Gavi, who slotted home confidently.
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Gavi turned provider for the second, running on to De Jong’s pass and sliding the ball across for Lewandowski to finish clinically.
“(Gavi) is a kid that excites us all, when you see him compete like that, putting his soul out there, he’s a character that is contagious for the team, he has an innate capacity for leadership,” Xavi told a press conference.
“It comes from inside him, it’s spectacular. At 18, I have said it many times, but don’t let it stop, he has no ceiling this boy.”
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