Man City defeated Sevilla in the first Uefa Super Cup on penalties
Manchester City, the current Champions League champions, defeated Sevilla on penalties on Wednesday night in Athens to capture the 2023 UEFA Super Cup for the first time ever.
Youssef En-Nesyri gave Sevilla, which won the Europa League for the seventh time last season, the lead in the 25th minute of play.
However, Cole Palmer evened the score in the 63rd minute of play, and that’s how the game ended in regulation time, requiring penalties to determine the victor.
Along with colleagues Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, and Kyle Walker, Erling Haaland scored in the shootout after finding it tough to make an impact throughout regulation time.
Lucas Ocampos, Rafa Mir, Ivan Rakitic, and Gonzalo Montiel all converted their first four penalties for Sevilla, but Nemanja Gudelj missed the crucial penalty kick at 5-4, allowing Pep Guardiola’s team to win the match on penalties.
En-Nesyri, a Moroccan international, headed a cross from Marcos Acuna into the goal in the 25th minute after scaling the highest point inside the Man City box.
Man City struggled to get into the game in the opening period without the injured Kevin De Bruyne. Nathan Ake’s best opportunity was turned away by Sevilla goalkeeper Bono, and a dangerous Phil Foden ball into the box late in the half should have found a taker.
Early in the second half, Ederson stopped En-Nesyri from scoring a second goal as he attempted to do so. However, Man City was able to tie the score just past the hour through Palmer, who headed a long Rodri cross into the goal.
Palmer and Foden were impressive for the Citizens, who were undoubtedly the team seeking victory in Athens. Sevilla’s most challenging stretch of the game occurred in the
The Spanish team fought valiantly in the final 10 minutes to force a shootout.
With the game headed for a penalty shootout, Ake had a header saved by Bono in the dying moments. However, it was Gudelj’s error, when he crashed his attempt off the crossbar, that decided the game.
Man City lost to Arsenal earlier this month, missing the opportunity to win the Community Shield, but they now have their first trophy of the year and have won the competition for the first time.
At the start of the 2023–24 Premier League season, Guardiola‘s team will now try to win consecutive games when they play Newcastle United on Saturday night.
When Sevilla resumes their La Liga campaign on the road against Alaves on August 21, they will be looking to recover from their opening-night setback to Valencia.
