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Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 in a cagey affair at the Stade Ibn Batouta in Morocco to raise the 2018 Spanish Super Cup. However, it was Sevilla that took the lead early on through Pablo Sarabia in only the ninth minute
Barca had to wait for their goal but found the net through the ever reliant and dangerous Gerard Pique in the 18-yard box as he equalized just three minutes before the break to make both the teams level at halftime.
Barcelona's second goal was a scorcher scored by Ousmane Dembele from outside the box in the 78th minute and it proved to be enough as the Blaugrana hung on to their lead for the final 10 minutes.
On that note, here are the 3 reasons why Barcelona defeated Sevilla:
#3 Messi tantalizes the Sevilla defence
It is no secret that Lionel Messi relishes playing against Sevilla and loves to torture their defence everytime he is on the pitch against the Andalusians.
Sunday night was no different and Sevilla were once again on the receiving end of a scintillating performance by Messi. The Argentinian Wizard did not grab a goal this time around but had an assist to his name.
Messi had five shots in total and came close to scoring when his shot got deflected off the post. However, he was sharp with his passing game as he completed seven key passes and played in a couple of deadly through balls that split the Sevilla defence open.
Messi proved to be a nightmare for the left-side of the Sevilla backline as like many others in the past none of them were able to keep hold of the 31 year old and were constantly getting beat with his swiftness, silky touches and majestic ball movement and the best they could do was intentionally foul him.
At fulltime, Lionel Messi lifted Barcelona's 13th Spanish Supercopa title and collected the 33rd major honour of his illustrious and trophy-laden career in Catalonia and surpassed Andres Iniesta on the list as Barcelona's most successful player. (i.e. with respect to the most number of trophies won)
#2 Barcelona's resolute defensive duo
Barcelona's new defensive pairing of Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet started their first competitive match together. It took them a while to sync with one another but both of them put in impressive individual displays in the 2-1 win for the Spanish Champions.
Pique registered his mark on the game with a timely equalizer in the 42nd minute as it gave Barca the much-needed momentum heading into the second half. Defensively, the towering centre-back made some neat clearances in and around the box to break some promising Sevilla attacks against the run of play.
On the other hand, Lenglet was on his Barcelona debut and the nerves did catch on him initially. However, playing alongside an experienced veteran like Pique helped his cause as he eased into the game and made some excellent last-ditch tackles at important junctures of the game.
Lenglet was effective with his distribution also as he completed five long balls and completed 94% of his passes. The French defender complemented Pique very well and did not commit any mistimed challenges especially when Barcelona were protecting their lead during the latter stages.
#1 Dembele shines
Just a few days ago, Ousmane Dembele was linked with an exit out of Barcelona and attracted heavy interest from the Premier League specifically. However, he put all the rumours to bed against Sevilla and delivered a match-winning performance as Barcelona claimed the Supercopa.
Dembele was given a starting role by manager Ernesto Valverde on the left wing ahead of Phillipe Coutinho. The Frenchman was sluggish at the beginning but as the game progressed, he got himself more involved in Barcelona's attack.
Dembele started to take-on defenders and dribble his way through the defence possessing the required threat against the three-man Sevilla backline. The 21 year old was a victim of several fouls which disrupted his impulse and limited the number of chances he could create.
But he saved his best till the last when a stunning weak-footed missile of a shot from outside the box found top corner to put Barca in front with 12 minutes remaining on the clock
Dembele didn't give many glimpses of his strengths on the right foot in his debut season but he showcased the secret weapon of his armoury and who knows, he may surprise us again with more right-footed goals in the coming season.
