Attica [Greece], August 17 : Manchester City came back from being one goal down and fought hard with Sevilla in the penalties to clinch their first-ever UEFA Super Cup in the final at Greece on Wednesday.
Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri put his team in the front with a header in the 25th minute.
Sevilla played well in the initial minutes, despite Nathan Ake and Jack Grealish making the goalkeeper Bono toil really hard in protecting the net.
In the 25th minute, Youssef En-Nesyri gave Sevilla the lead, dominating Ake and Josko Gvardiol to power a cross by Marcus Acuna inside the net.
Gvardiol, featuring in the starting eleven for City for the first time and star striker Erling Haaland had a really difficult, struggle-filled first half and they were far from their usual intimidating nature.
In the second half, City showed some improvement. En-Nesyri was denied goals by City's goalkeeper Ederson numerous times. Then in the 63rd minute, Cole Palmer then looped a header over goalkeeper Bono and the scores were level at 1-1.
The English champions managed to hold the scores level and almost secured a goal in the stoppage time.
In the penalties, City got the win when Nemanja Gudelj missed the decisive spot kick for Sevilla, giving City a 5-4 win on penalties and manager Pep Guardiola his record-equalling fourth Super Cup title.
Following the match, Guardiola said that his team is now targeting the FIFA Club World Cup in December.
"Of course, we are not in the best, best moment, I would say. But knowing a little bit about the players and the mentality of the backroom staff, I had a feeling that we will try," Guardiola said, according to Sky Sports.
"We are really pleased to have already one title in this season. Really pleased for the club - this title we did not have and now we have it. We miss just one to finish all circles and be able for this club to win all the titles we can have. It is happening in December, when we go to Saudi Arabia to play there, the (Club) World Cup," he said.
"I would say really, really pleased. A tight game like this happened in the (Champions League) final against Inter, a tight game that we lost against Arsenal (in the Community Shield). Football in these stages, in that moment, in that period is a coin (flip)," he concluded.
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