Supercup triumph against Madrid
Lewandowski wins first title with Barça
The Supercup final in Saudi Arabia is a clear affair over long stretches. Barcelona claim the title for the 14th time.
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Robert Lewandowski (right) and Ousmane Dembele with the Spanish Supercup trophy.
World footballer Robert Lewandowski is looking forward to winning his first title with FC Barcelona after leaving German champions Bayern Munich.
The Catalans also won the final of the Spanish Super Cup against champions Real Madrid 3-1 thanks to a goal by the Polish star striker. With his first Supercup win since 2018, Barça extended his record in the prestigious competition to 14 successes.
In addition to Lewandowski (45th), Gavi (33rd) and Pedri (69th) scored for Barcelona against arch-rivals in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. For the royal team, hopes of a successful title defense were not fulfilled despite the consolation goal of their French striker Karim Benzema in added time (90 + 3).
Third edition as a mini-tournament
Both Barcelona and Real had only qualified for the final in their semi-finals on penalties. In Barca’s 4-2 win against cup winners Betis Sevilla, goalie ter Stegen became the Blaugrana match winner, because after 2-2 after 120 minutes, the native of Mönchengladbach parried two Betis penalties. Lewandowski gave Barca their first lead in regular time. Real progressed against FC Valencia as a 4-3 winner on penalties.
The Spanish Supercup took place for the third time as a four-team mini-tournament in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom was the venue when the current format premiered in 2019/20 and in 2021/22. In January 2021, the competition was held in Spain due to the effects of the corona pandemic.
Barcelona took part in the Supercup as runners-up behind the title holders Real. Sevilla and Valencia qualified for the tournament by participating in last season’s Spanish Cup final. (cat/AFP)