PIRAEUS, Greece: Manchester City won the UEFA Super Cup for the first time on Wednesday but needed penalties to beat Sevilla after a 1-1 draw in Athens.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s towering first-half header gave the Spaniards the lead.
European champions City were far from their slick best, but hit back to force the game to penalties through Cole Palmer’s header.
City were then perfect from the spot and prevailed 5-4 in the shootout after Sevilla defender Nemanja Gudelj smashed against the bar.
Pep Guardiola has bemoaned his side’s lack of preparation for the new season and it showed under the baking heat in the Greek capital.
City badly missed the creative presence of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva through a combination of injury and illness.
A four-month absence for De Bruyne due to a serious hamstring injury has exacerbated the loss of firepower offered by Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez since last season.
West Ham’s Brazilian international Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a move to the Etihad and this performance may serve as further proof City need to strengthen before the end of the transfer market.
Sevilla began their La Liga season with a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Valencia.
But just as they did last season in lifting a seventh Europa League despite a 12th-placed league finish, they rose to the big occasion.
Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was playing what is expected to be his final game for the club before a move to Saudi side Al Hilal.
The Moroccan international denied City a perfect start when he clawed away Nathan Ake’s powerful header that was destined for the bottom corner.
But Guardiola’s men soon became ponderous in possession and were punished on 25 minutes.
Josko Gvardiol was making his first start for City since a 90 million euro ($99 million) move from RB Leipzig.
The Croatian international was beaten to Marcos Acuna’s cross by En-Nesyri, who bulleted a header in off the post.
City’s sluggishness was in evidence again at the start of the second-half when Lucas Ocampos skipped past Kyle Walker’s desperate lunge to set up En-Nesyri with a golden chance to double Sevilla’s lead.
The Moroccan striker was one-on-one with Ederson but fired straight into the Brazilian goalkeeper’s legs.
Sevilla were left to rue that miss as City hit back against the run of play on 63 minutes.
Mahrez’s departure has opened the door to City academy graduate Palmer to the first-team and the England under-21 international, who also scored against Arsenal in the Community Shield, is taking his chance.
Rodri was City’s hero with the only goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan and the Spaniard this time provided the assist with a perfectly measured cross for Palmer to cushion a header past Bounou.
En-Nesyri was guilty of another wasted one-on-one moments later as Ederson flew off his line to make a block.
Erling Haaland had scored twice in all of his previous three appearances against Sevilla, but the Norwegian barely got a sight of goal before the spot-kicks.
Instead, City’s best chance to win the game in normal time fell to Ake as the Dutchman’s downward header was tipped over.
However, there was no perfect ending for Bounou as Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Walker all held their nerve to score in the shootout.
Man City beat Sevilla on penalties to win UEFA Super Cup
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Man City beat Sevilla on penalties to win UEFA Super Cup
- European champions City were far from their slick best, but hit back to force the game to penalties through Cole Palmer’s header
Real Sociedad end Barca winning streak to tighten Liga title race
- The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defense ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.
The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.
Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.
“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN.
“We played well but we didn’t win... their goalkeeper had a very good game.”
Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.
“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro.
“We’ve started this year in great form... this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”
In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.
La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.
At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up and it was ruled out.
With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.
Yamal found the net himself but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.
Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.
Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again and it was canceled out.
Remiro heroics
Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.
Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.
Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.
Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.
However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.
They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.
Barcelona came within centimeters of an equalizer when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.
Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.
Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.
