Man City added the UEFA Super Cup to their list of honours this evening when they beat Sevilla after an intense penalty shootout that was decided on the last kick!
Guardiola’s men came out looking as strong as ever tonight in the UEFA Super Cup Final, but they were met with a worthy opponent in the form of La Liga side Sevilla.
Both City and Sevilla came out looking to attack early on, and despite the Sky Blues dominating possession for the majority of the first half, it was their opponents who took the lead with their only shot on target of the half.
Sevilla’s frontman Youssef En-Nesyri produced a brilliant header at the end of a dynamic counter-attack that took City off their guard in the 24th minute of the match.
The second half threatened to bring more misery to Guardiola’s side as their opponents came out looking inspired by their first half opener.
Sevilla seemed to have City in their pockets as the second half unfolded, but the Premier League champs stuck in and waited for their chance to get back into the game.
Slowly but surely, the City that fans have grown to love came back at Sevilla, and less than 20 minutes into the second half of play they found their chance to strike.
From the far left hand of Sevilla’s box, Rodri delivered a wonderful chip to the far post – met by 3 unmarked Sky Blue shirts including Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer.
It would be the young Palmer who found his way to the ball, nodding a cute header back across an outstretched Bono and into the back of Sevilla’s net.
Both sides continued to threaten one another in the final third, but with 10 minutes remaining of the game it was clear that Sevilla were holding on for dear life, with City having taken control of the game once more.
Sevilla got their wish, with the match grinding out to a penalty shootout after 90+ minutes of intense football in searing Greek heat.
Viewers were treated to a wonderful display of penalty taking, with both Man City and Sevilla each scoring their first four (Haaland, Alvarez, Kovacic, Grealish – Ocampos, Mir, Rakitic, Montiel).
It would be City’s captain Kyle Walker who would step up to the spot for the all important 5th penalty kick, in a nail-biting shootout.
Walker put his penalty away by a whisker, choosing the bottom left corner of the goal and seeing Bono get a touch on the ball before it skipped into the roof of the net.
For Sevilla, Nemanja Gudelj would bear the responsibility of keeping his side in the game.
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The Serbian national’s eyes lit up as he sent Edison the wrong way, only to see his thunderous strike rise to clatter the crossbar, ending this incredible shootout and handing City the title.
The Citizens did not hold back in their celebrations of yet another piece of silverware just months after securing their history making treble!
