2023-08-17 00:00:26
Manchester City have won the UEFA Super Cup for the first time. In a stubborn match, the regular time of which ended in a draw – 1: 1, the winner of the Champions League on penalties defeated the Spanish Sevilla, the best team in the Europa League.
In the match for the UEFA Super Cup, the favorite is determined automatically. It is invariably the team that wins the Champions League. Nevertheless, the victors of the Europa League took the trophy more than once. For example, in 2006, Sevilla defeated Barcelona – 3: 0, and then not only 19-year-old Lionel Messi, who had not yet matured, played for the Catalans, but also Carles Puyol, Xavi, Deco, Ronaldinho, who were in their prime and Samuel Eto’o.
This time, the Spanish club, the 7-time winner of the second most important European Cup, was also opposed by a stellar team. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland at the forefront of attack, English techie Jack Grealish in midfield, Croatian newcomer Joshko Guardiol in defense, then on the list. Of those who are able to make a result, two midfielders were absent from Manchester City – the Belgian Kevin De Bruyne, who was out for several months due to a serious injury, and the Portuguese Bernardo Silva. There were no such losses in the attacking formations of Sevilla, and this slightly equalized the chances.
In Piraeus, where the meeting took place, it was hot at nine in the evening. Manchester City started slowly, but gradually got hot and missed at least one real chance to open an account. After a pass from a corner, defender Natan Ake headbutted the ball into the near corner, but goalkeeper Yassin Bunu deflected the threat. The game was almost completely under the control of the English giant, when, in the 25th minute, Bunu successfully launched a rare attack from the Sevillas, the Argentine world champion in 2022, Marcos Akuña, from the left flank along a verified trajectory, sent the ball into the penalty area and the Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nasiri, jumping over two defenders , scored a classic English goal with a mighty header.
After that, until the break on the field, by and large, nothing changed. Manchester City players unsuccessfully tried to pull someone else’s defense, and most of their rivals went to someone else’s half of the field a few times. Holland, on the other hand, was almost invisible, playing only for a yellow card received by the French defender of Sevilla, Luak Bade. However, head coach Pep Guardiola started the second half with the same line-up, which missed the sharpest counterattack with the participation of the Argentinean Lucas Ocampos and all that de En-Nasiri. But the left leg of the Moroccan was not as lucky as the head, and goalkeeper Ederson rescued Manchester City.
In such matches, such generosity of attackers is fraught, since it is almost always followed by retribution. She didn’t have long to wait. In the 63rd minute, Rodri already hung, and 21-year-old Cole Palmer, who secured Holann, who did not reach the ball, shot past Bunu with his head. As soon as Sevilla started from the center of the field, En-Nasiri could score again. But in general, the remaining half an hour passed with the advantage of Manchester City. The ball moved through the penalty area of the Spaniards very quickly, and the fate of the meeting could be decided by any successful touch of the attackers.
However, the defenders were lucky. And since there is no extra time in the match for the Super Bowl, after 90 main and 5 compensated opponents immediately proceeded to the penalty shootout. Nine of them were executed perfectly, only the Serbian defender of Sevilla Nemanja Gudel, who hit tenth, was a little unlucky. Ederson did not have a single chance to reflect the ball, but he flew a little higher than he should have and hit the crossbar. As a result – 1:1 (5:4). Sevilla lost their sixth Super Cup match of seven, while Manchester City won on the first try. In addition, Josep Guardiola took his fourth Super Cup, catching up on this indicator with the record holder Carlo Ancelotti. True, the Italian took the trophy with two teams – Milan (2003, 2007) and Real Madrid (2014, 2022), and the Spaniard with three. His winning list also includes Barcelona (2009, 2011) and Bayern Munich (2013).
#Manchester #City #beat #Sevilla #UEFA #Super #Cup