Barcelona beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in Supercopa to leave Xavi under pressure
Barcelona coach Xavi is under increasing pressure following a 4-1 defeat to fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid as he raced onto a Jude Bellingham through-ball and rounded goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.
And although Robert Lewandowski reduced the deficit with a brilliant volley from the edge of the box, the Brazilian made it 3-1 from the penalty spot later in the half after he was adjudged to have been fouled by Ronald Araujo.
Rodrygo added a fourth after 64 minutes and Barça finished the match with 10 men as Araujo was sent off for a second bookable offence.
This loss brings further scrutiny to Xavi’s position, with Barcelona also off the pace in La Liga – seven points behind Madrid in fourth place.
“[I feel] disappointment, sadness,” Xavi said after the match. “It’s a shame because we were excited, but we played our worst match. We weren’t able to stop Real Madrid’s transitions.
“We say sorry to the fans, because we showed our worst side.”
But he added: “I have experienced hard defeats and we have regrouped. Barça will be back. I hope this defeat helps us to compete and play better.
“These will be tough days with a lot os criticism, but we have to accept it, because we weren’t up to what this competition and what our club demands. I congratulate Madrid, they are worthy winners.”
For Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, it was an 11th trophy across his two spells and hos first for the club since last season’s Copa del Rey title.
Real are currently a point behind La Liga leaders Girona, but with a game in hand due to their presence in Saudi Arabia.
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