JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
Manchester City and Sevilla triumphed in last season’s European competition. The Citizens lifted the Champions League trophy and the La Liga team won the Europa League. As every year, there was a match in which the winners of both competitions faced each other. Experience was clearly in favour of Sevilla, for whom this was the seventh European Super Cup match. So far, the Spaniards have been able to enjoy winning the trophy once, in 2006. In the meeting against Barcelona they proved to be 3:0 better. Manchester City, on the other hand, had the first opportunity to face the European Super Cup.
Wednesday night’s meeting in regular time ended in a 1:1 draw, with penalty kicks needed to determine the winner. The Premier League team confidently executed their eleven, scoring flawlessly. In the last round of penalty kicks, Sevilla player Gudelj made a mistake and thus City were able to add another trophy to their trophy cabinet.
Manchester City won the European Super Cup. The Citizens won against Sevilla in a 5-4 penalty shootout series, with Nemanja Gudelj making a mistake at the crucial moment. The game was tied 1-1 in regular time, with the Spaniards coming out on top after Youssef En-Nesyri scored. Cole Palmer replied after the break.
At the start, attacks flowed from both sides, although the more threatening ones were courtesy of Manchester City. In the 8th minute, Nathan Ake struck with his head and the ball was easily deflected by Bono. In minute 17, the Sevilla goalkeeper again had his hands full after a shot from distance by Jack Grealish.
As for the all-important action in the 25th minute they carried out a lightning-quick action . The ball went to the left wing to Marcos Acuña, who centred to the head of Youssef En-Nesyri. The Moroccan striker jumped higher than two City defenders and beat Ederson. A few minutes later, Erik Lamela could have increased the score to 2:0, but he missed.
In the 50th minute, the same player should have increased to 2:0, but with only Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson in front of him, he hit too lightly and straight at him. In this part of the match, however, it was Sevilla who posed more of a threat than Manchester City, especially from counter-attacks.
In the 62nd minute, however, City managed to equalise. Rodri centred into the penalty area, Erling Haaland did not reach the ball, but Cole Palmer managed to strike with his head and put the ball past the goalkeeper from an acute angle. The Manchester City alumni is becoming an increasingly important player in Pep’s puzzle.
In the 63rd minute, Manchester got their goal. A good pass into the penalty area was sent by Rodri and there Cole Palmer was sensational. The 21-year-old City alumni hit the ball with his head in a textbook fashion and gave the Sevilla goalkeeper no chance. The Spaniards could
In the 69th minute, the 21-year-old Englishman had a chance for a second goal, but another parry was recorded by Bono, who kicked the ball out for a corner kick. These actions were no coincidence. At the end of the match, Manchester regained the initiative but did not score another goal, so it came to a penalty shootout, as there is no extra-time in the Super Cup. In the competition of eleven, City won 5:4.Only a penalty was wasted by Nemanja Gudelj, who closed the fifth period.Instantly answered, because already in the 65th minute En-Nesyri found himself in a one-on-one situation with Ederson. The Moroccan wanted to fit the ball between the Brazilian’s legs, but it was the Manchester City goalkeeper who emerged victorious. Bono, on the other hand, had to prove himself in the 69th minute. The Englishman’s left-footed technical strike was spectacular, but Bono was able to get away with it.
Guardiola won his 36th career trophy. And he is getting closer to catching up with the feat of Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 49 trophies. With the victory against Sevilla, he added a fourth European Super Cup. His previous such achievement was with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. In his coaching career, the Spaniard won among others: 2x Spanish Cup, 2x FA Cup, 2x German Cup, 3x Spanish Championship, 3x German Championship, 5x English Championship, 3x Club World Cup Cup and 3x Champions League trophy.
Although Sevilla have won the UEFA Cup twice and the Europa League five times, they have only won the European Super Cup once, when they beat Barcelona in 2006. For City, it was the first such clash ever and the first win. Manchester City’s players rehabilitated their fans for their recent defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield match. For Pep, it was the 16th trophy achieved with Manchester City.
PENALTY KICKS DECIDED. 5-4 MANCHESTER CITY WITH THE EUROPEAN SUPER CUP . MANCHESTER CITY – SEVILLA 1:1
Manchester City – Sevilla 1:1 (0:1), penalty shootout 5-4.
Goals: Youssef En-Nesyri (25th) – Cole Palmer (63rd).
Referee: Francois Letexier (France). Spectators: around 33,000.
Manchester City: Ederson – Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake – Cole Palmer (85. Julian Alvarez), Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden, Rodri, Jack Grealish – Erling Haaland.
Sevilla: Yassine Bounou – Jesus Navas (83. Gonzalo Montiel), Loic Bade, Nemanja Gudelj, Marcos Acuna – Joan Jordan, Oliver Torres (74. Juanlu), Ivan Rakitic – Lucas Ocampos, Youssef En-Nesyri (90+3. Rafa Mir), Erik Lamela (90+3. Suso).
