Manchester City has established an era of dominance.
They took down Sevilla 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation to win the UEFA Super Cup to their long list of trophies they won under manager Pep Guardiola to turn last season's treble into a quadruple.
Sevilla got close to an upset and led for nearly 40 minutes because of Youssef En-Nesyri's towering header at the 25th minute, who jumped higher than Nathan Aké and Josko Gvardiol for the header past Éderson. The night was not one where City was at their very best, but they managed to find a way to their equalizer.
21-year-old Cole Palmer answered back with a header of his own at the six-yard box in the 63rd minute off a cross to the left from Rodri. Palmer was right behind the Sevilla defense, and his header over goalkeeper Yassine Bounou evened the game up.
In the scorching heat and humidity, it was a tight and contested match, and Sevilla's attack caused problems for a City defense that was often exposed.
Sevilla constantly made last season's Champions League winners uncomfortable, with lots of pressing, and a lot of chances coming from En-Nesyri, with his goal paying off on a counterattack.
Sevilla had a lot of opportunities, though there were some great opportunities that went to waste, including one from Erik Lamela, before City started to take control of the match, with Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovačić getting great crosses from Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, but weren't able to find them.
Though they picked up the pace in the second half, En-Nesyri missed two great chances, the first of which came on a sitter after a counterattack led by Lucas Ocampos.
Aké could have easily won it for City in stoppage time, but his header from five yards out was amazingly stopped by Bounou.
City delivered perfect results in the penalty shootout, with Sevilla converting their first four kicks, though Bounou almost stopped Kyle Walker's kick before Nemanja Gudelj of Sevilla fired off the crossbar to seal City's victory.
There were a lot of questions asked about Guardiola ever since his arrival in 2016, but they have now been answered. Now the question is how many more trophies he will win before his contract expires in 2025.
While it was not the prettiest of victories, especially since they were without Kevin De Bruyne, who will be out long-term into 2024, they were as calm as they were. They stemmed the fight and fought their way back.
Many will say that they should have dominated, but the absences of İlkay Gündoğan (now with Barcelona), De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva (illness) showed. These three can define a contest, though Guardiola saw that he doesn't have anyone like them on his bench. But Phil Foden can turn things around, though he was marginal, mostly because City was not used to controlled possession.
Though Guardiola's résumé now has five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, two Community Shields, and the ever-so-important Champions League against Inter Milan two months ago. This win gives him his 15th trophy in a little over seven years with the club.
While nothing lasts forever and eventually City will have to start over, City director of football Txiki Begiristain wants to build a team that can have the promise to carry on the success past Guardiola's tenure.
They already have Erling Haaland, the best young striker in the world, and have brought in Josko Gvardiol, the best young defender in the world, this summer.
Gvardiol, who came in as a late substitute against Burnley, signed for a €90 transfer fee from RB Leipzig, where he got his first start against Sevilla. He already looks like he is part of the team full of stylish players.
The future is in good hands with City. And with a fourth trophy in a three-month span, the present is just as bright.
Scoring
Sevilla, 25': Youssef En-Nesyri [1], header from center of the box to bottom left corner, assisted by Marcos Acuña [1] with a cross. 1-0 Sevilla
City, 63': Cole Palmer [1], header from right side of the six-yard box to high center of the goal, assisted by Rodri [1] with a cross. 1-1 Tie
Penalty Shootout
Round | Team | Shooter | Goal? | Description | Score |
1 | City | Erling Haaland | Yes | Left footed shot to bottom right corner | 1-0 City |
1 | Sevilla | Lucas Ocampos | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom right corner | 1-1 Tie |
2 | City | Julián Álvarez | Yes | Right footed shot to top right corner | 2-1 City |
2 | Sevilla | Rafa Mir | Yes | Right footed shot to top right corner | 2-2 Tie |
3 | City | Mateo Kovačić | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 3-2 City |
3 | Sevilla | Ivan Rakitić | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 3-3 Tie |
4 | City | Jack Grealish | Yes | Right footed shot to high center of the goal | 4-3 City |
4 | Sevilla | Gonzalo Montiel | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom right corner | 4-4 Tie |
5 | City | Kyle Walker | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 5-4 City |
5 | Sevilla | Nemanja Gudelj | No | Hits the crossbar with right footed shot | 5-4 City |
Substitutions
Sevilla, 74': Juanlu Sánchez replaces Óliver Torres.
Sevilla, 83': Gonzalo Montiel replaces Jesús Navas.
City, 85': Julián Álvarez replaces Cole Palmer.
Sevilla, 90'+3': Rafa Mir replaces Youssef En-Nesyri.
Sevilla, 90'+3': Suso replaces Erik Lamela.
Disciplinary
Sevilla, 33': Loïc Badé is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sevilla, 61': Erik Lamela is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sevilla, 90': Juanlu Sánchez is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Team Stats
Possession: City 74% advantage
Shots: City 23, Sevilla 8
On Target: City 7, Sevilla 4
Fouls: City 5, Sevilla 14
Yellow Cards: City 0, Sevilla 3
Red Cards: City 0, Sevilla 0
Offsides: City 0, Sevilla 3
Corner Kicks: City 8, Sevilla 0
Saves: City 3, Sevilla 6
Miscellaneous
Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
Location: Piraeus, Greece
Attendance: 29,207 (Capacity: 33,334)
Referee: François Letexier (France)
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