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Barcelona manager Xavi is proud of his players' performance in the 3-2 Spanish Super Cup semi-final defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Spanish tactician believes the Catalan giants are on the right track, terming the El Clasico defeat as a turning point 'in terms of feelings'.
Vinicius Junior gave Los Blancos the lead in the 25th minute at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Luuk de Jong equalized for Barcelona four minutes from half-time but Madrid regained their lead through Karim Benzema in the 72nd minute.
Ansu Fati scored the Catalans' second goal of the night to force extra time. But Federico Valverde's strike in the 98th minute brought an end to Barcelona's Super Cup campaign.
Barcelona had more number of shots (20) than Real Madrid (14), had more possession (53%-47%) and gave more passes (704-640) but unfortunately ended up on the losing side anyway.
Xavi, however, was pleased with his side's performance, claiming they were better than Madrid 'in terms of play and dominance'.
“I think we have been better than Madrid in terms of play, dominance, and we had the game there," he said during his post-match press conference. "We took a lot of risks and we knew how to control transitions, and this is the way to compete. We competed well against the team in best form. If you toss a coin and it came up heads in favor of Barcelona, nobody says anything. But it came up tails.
“We can go away proud because we have competed and it is a step forward despite the result," he added. "We are on the right track and it was a turning point not in terms of the result but in terms of feelings and the game."
What next for Xavi and Barcelona?
The Spanish Super Cup was a realistic chance for Barcelona to get their hands on silverware this season. But the semi-final defeat to Madrid means they will now have to focus on winning the Europa League and the Copa Del Rey.
They are currently sixth in La Liga, 17 points off league leaders Real Madrid, and will surely not be able to mount a title challenge. The Catalan giants were also knocked out of the Champions League group stages, their first time since way back in the 2000-01 season. As a result, they have been forced to compete in the Europa League.
The club's next assignment is a Copa Del Rey Round-of-16 clash against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, January 19.
