Author: Serg Atrakhov, Barkha Roy
Manchester City – Sevilla – 1-1 (penalty: 5-4)
The victory at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece went to Manchester City; this marked their 15th title under the reign of Pep Guardiola, who took over in 2016.
Previously, these rivals have only met four times, twice in the same Champions League group. In the 2015/16 season, City won 2-1 at home and 3-1 away, and last season they beat Spanish side Sevilla 4-0 and 3-1 in England.
In the new season, Sevilla managed to play just one official match, losing 1-2 to Valencia. Manchester City lost the FA Super Cup to Arsenal on penalties and beat Burnley 3-0 in the first round of the championship.
In the first fifteen minutes, Bunu was involved twice in shots from Ake and Grealish, showing great reflexes on both occasions. But Sevilla’s aggressive pressing proved a formidable test for City’s defense, which at times found itself exposed and struggling to contain the opposition. En-Nesyri, in particular, kept City’s defense on their toes, squandering some golden opportunities before his first goal in the 25th minute. He outpaced Ake and Guardiola on the second floor, closing down Akuna’s cross from the flank – 0-1.
After scoring, Sevilla gave up the initiative, but City were unable to sharpen their game. And the endless possession and many passes only caused the fans in the stands to whistle.
At the start of the second half, Sevilla should have scored a second goal. Ocampos ran down Walker’s flank, played a precise pass to En-Neseri, but the Moroccan hit Ederson. For the next fifteen minutes, only the Spanish team was visible on the pitch. Okampos and En-Nesiri came up short on several occasions to increase the lead.
Sevilla missed out on so many chances. In the 63rd minute, Rodri scored Palmer’s goal – with a header – 1:1. Almost immediately, the Spaniards managed to recover. Ocampos again played a precise pass to En-Nesiri, but Ederson arrived in time to find the striker and took the blow.
After that, and until the end of the game, the moments were created exclusively by City. Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic tried to break through their rivals’ defensive barricade, but were unable to tip the scales in their favor. Bunu was dragged off by Palmer (70 mins) and Ake (90 mins). In the 92nd minute, Walker sent the ball over the bar, which meant that the fate of the trophy would be decided in a penalty shoot-out.
Each of the first nine penalty kicks found the back of the net, setting the stage for a dramatic outcome. It was Sevilla defender Nemanja Gudelj who faced the brunt of the pressure, but unfortunately for his team, his penalty bounced off the crossbar, sealing the win for Manchester City. 5-4 – City won the UEFA Super Cup at the first attempt. For comparison’s sake, Sevilla have only managed to win it once in seven attempts (in 2006).
City midfielder Jack Grealish summed up the team’s feelings, reflecting on the manager’s fervent desire to secure the trophy. Grealish emphasized: “You want to win everything anyway, but this made us want it more. This club has never won the award. It’s a brilliant feeling.“The strategic prowess and motivational leadership of coach Pep Guardiola were essential to the success of the team, who executed their game plan with determination and resilience.
Sevilla striker Erik Lamela acknowledged the challenge posed by Manchester City, saying:“The team did a good job, we ran a lot against a very, very good team.“
The English team, Manchester City, had only one Brazilian player in its ranks, goalkeeper Ederson. Throughout the match, Ederson’s exceptional shot-defending skills were the center of attention, as he made three crucial saves. In particular, he showed his ability to cover the goal efficiently, denying En-Nesyri on two separate occasions during the second half. Sevilla didn’t have any Brazilians in the game, although they did have Fernando and Marcão.