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Barcelona are through to the final of the 2020-21 Spanish Supercup after seeing off an obdurate Real Sociedad 3-2 on penalties.
Substitute Riqui Puig scored the decisive kick as Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen denied Jon Bautista and Mikel Oyarzabal.
The match had ended 1-1 after normal time as Frenkie de Jong's opener was canceled out by Oyarzabal's penalty, but there was no separating the sides after that.
With no Lionel Messi pulling the strings for Barcelona, they visibly struggled to create many opportunities, while Antoine Griezmann, De Jong, and Ousmane Dembele were guilty of missing some really crucial chances too.
However, La Real were equally denied at the other end by the formidable Ter Stegen.
Barcelona will now face either Real Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in the final. Here are the player ratings:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 8/10
Where would Barcelona be without him? Ter Stegen was once again a decisive figure for his side, making numerous vital saves throughout the match before stopping two penalties in the shootout. The best goalkeeper in the world? You bet!
Oscar Mingueza - 6/10
While his attacking output was minimal, Mingueza was sound defensively, keeping a close eye on Oyarzabal and Merino. He tried to block Sociedad's attempts on the break with crucial tackles, and attempted seven in total, successfully managing four.
Ronald Araujo - 7/10
Could this be the night which truly liberates Araujo? The young Argentinian was superb in defence, making a game-high of six clearances. He made two interceptions and completed 92% of his passes too.
Clement Lenglet - 5/10
Another awful night for the French centre-back, who was bailed out by Araujo several times.
Jordi Alba - 6/10
Alba too, wasn't impressive, as his crosses were misplaced. Moreover, he didn't even step up to take a penalty, despite donning the captain's armband.
Frenkie de Jong - 7/10
The Dutchman was good in the first half, topping it with a superb headed goal too, his third in the last nine games. However, it all went downhill for him after the break as he conceded a penalty, missed a great chance, and then failed to score in the shootout too.
Sergio Busquets - 7/10
With De Jong keen on venturing forward, the onus of controlling the midfield fell on Busuqets, and he came away with flying colors. The Spaniard was the key to Barcelona regaining possession and also completed 92% of his passes.
Ousmane Dembele - 7/10
With little help from Griezmann or Martin Braithwaite, the Frenchman was left to do most of the heavy lifting in attack. He missed a great chance in extra-time.
Pedri - 7/10
Pedri continued to grow in importance for Barcelona with another class showing. He worked in tandem with Dembele to open up Sociedad's defence via good passes and link-up play.
Martin Braithwaite - 6/10
In a rare start, the Danish striker looked subdued on the left-wing and barely created any chances for Barcelona.
Antoine Griezmann - 6/10
He set up De Jong with a brilliant cross from the byline, but other than that, the Frenchman was largely ineffective. He fired straight at Sociedad goalkeeper from close range in extra-time, and then blasted his penalty in row Z.
Substitutes
Miralem Pjanic - 7/10
He put Barcelona in front by firing in their second penalty of the shootout.
Francisco Trincao - 7/10
His effort and commitment truly deserves plaudits as Trincao constantly probed Sociedad's defence with energetic runs and occassional through balls.
Riqui Puig - 7/10
He didn't bring much to the table after coming on, but at least, scored the decisive penalty which put Barcelona through. Brownie points for that.
Junior Firpo - N/A
He came on just six minutes before the end of injury time and was barely seen.
