West News Wire: After a thrilling game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, Manchester City maintained their composure to defeat Sevilla 5-4 on penalties and win the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in their history.
The shootout’s first nine attempts were all successful on Wednesday, but Man City won after Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj missed his spot-kick against the crossbar. Man City had previously lost the Community Shield in England on penalties to Arsenal.
It was the 15th trophy won by Manchester City since manager Pep Guardiola took over in 2016, and it made up for the team’s most recent Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.
“The manager made it so clear to us before the game how much he wants to win this trophy,” City midfielder Jack Grealish said.
“You want to win everything anyway, but that gave us more of an urge. This club has never won it. It’s a brilliant feeling,” he said.
City’s Kyle Walker lifted the cup amid ticker tape and chants of “Champions” by his teammates on the stage in the middle of the field.
After the game, Erik Lamela of Sevilla remarked, “It’s really frustrating for us, but I’m proud of my teammates.” The team performed admirably; against a very, very excellent squad, we ran a lot.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s stunning header gave Europa League champion Sevilla the lead in the 25th minute, but Cole Palmer’s header for Man City in the 63rd minute levelled the score.
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens, Greece, hosted an enthralling contest as a stubborn Sevilla caused numerous issues for a City defence that was frequently exposed. The game was played there in the sweltering heat and humidity.
Sevilla’s strong high pressing and En-Nesyri’s missed opportunities caused last season’s Champions League champions to get uneasy.
Should Manchester City now win the Club World Cup in December, it would complete Guardiola’s honours list since arriving in England, which already includes five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and the club’s first Champions League.
“We are really pleased for the club to win this,” Guardiola said on Wednesday. “We miss just one to finish the full circle and have all the titles we can have.”
