Manchester City footballers continue their great season by lifting the Super Cup on Wednesday August 16 in Athens, after a match against Sevilla FC, a tough opponent beaten only after penalties (1-1, 5- 4 tabs). In Piraeus, the Citizens amassed a new trophy following on from the hat-trick at the end of last season (Championship, FA Cup and Champions League), with the help of Nemanja Gudelj, an unfortunate shooter on the Spanish side.
“Over the last ten or fifteen years this club has been so successful, they’ve won so many Premier Leagues, FA Cups and Leagues. We were waiting for this one, “commented on TNT Sports the English winger Jack Grealish, who arrived in 2021. The partners of Kyle Walker, captain in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne (knee), suffered in the face of pikes Sevilla offensives, the Europa League expert who loves to thwart predictions.
But the England international Espoir Cole Palmer, at the height of his 21 years, pulled out all the stops to put his team back in the game, from the header on the hour mark (63rd), responding to another helmet shot from Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri (25th). The Manchester-born southpaw’s capital performance will put a smile on Guardiola’s face who, with the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Saudi Arabia, has found a sizeable understudy on the right wing for Bernardo Silva, who was ill and absent on Wednesday.
Already a scorer in early August during the Community Shield lost against Arsenal, Palmer shook his vis-à-vis with dribbles, strikes and crosses, and he completed his score by scoring with a header, straightening a cross from Rodri at the far post , the hero of the Istanbul final two months earlier. “This guy is amazing, he has great teammates to learn from and he has the best coach in the world. He has to keep it up, keep his feet on the ground the way he does and keep scoring goals,” Walker told broadcaster TNT Sports.
The success of Athens allows Pep Guardiola to win the European Super Cup for the fourth time, after the 2009, 2011 (with FC Barcelona) and 2013 (with Bayern Munich) editions. Only the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, with two different clubs, has done the same. This eternal perfectionist had a worried look during the first period, during which his defense was shaken, in particular by the untenable En-Nesyri.
The Sevillian striker multiplied the calls, covered his tracks and he played central defenders Nathan Aké and Josko Gvardiol, rookie at 90 million euros in the summer, interfering between them to place a powerful header which he has the secret. The two rearguard friends had never played together in an official match before and it showed. Manchester City does not have much time to learn because, from Saturday, it will have to challenge the ambitious Newcastle, author of a cannon start (5-1 against Aston Villa) in the league.