Barcelona added the Uefa Super Cup to their treble win of trophies last season despite squandering a 4-1 lead with a stunning 5-4 win over Sevilla thanks to Pedro Rodriguez’s extra-time winner.
Two fine free-kicks from Lionel Messi plus goals from Rafinha and Luis Suarez looked to have Barca well on course to claim their fourth trophy of the year, after Ever Banega had given Sevilla an early lead.
However, Jose Antonio Reyes’s goal was followed by a Kevin Gameiro penalty and a debut strike from Yevhen Konoplyanka to force the game into an extra 30 minutes.
Barca were not to be denied, though, and, in what could be his last game for the club, Pedro pounced on the rebound after Beto had denied Messi his hat-trick.
Pedro had been left out of the starting line-up despite the absence of Neymar due to the mumps and appears set for a move to Manchester United after Barca technical secretary Robert Fernandez said the Spaniard has asked to leave the club.
“He deserves it,” Messi said of Pedro’s match-winning contribution.
“The players and the club don’t know what he is going to do. It is his decision, but whatever he does we wish him the best.”
Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves urge ‘world class’ Pedro to stay at Barcelona
Sevilla made the brighter start and Javier Mascherano was lucky to avoid further punishment after being adjudged to have brought down Reyes on the edge of the area.
The punishment was still to come for the European champions, though, as Banega curled the resulting free-kick past the helpless Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Unfortunately, for Unai Emery’s side, the lead lasted only four minutes as Suarez was blocked by Grzegorz Krychowiak and Messi delicately chipped the ball over the wall into the top corner.
The four-time World Player of the Year’s next set-piece was even more impressive as he fired a free-kick in off the inside of the post to move level with Cristiano Ronaldo as the leading scorer in European competitions with 80.
Suarez missed a chance for the third when he fired straight at Beto, two minutes before half-time, but made immediate amends by collecting the rebound to set up Rafinha to slot home.
Sevilla’s hopes of a comeback appeared to be over when a poor pass from Benoit Tremoulinas was intercepted by Sergio Busquets and turned home by Suarez.
Yet, they were given a lifeline when Reyes turned home Vitolo’s cross at the far post to make it 4-2.
Jeremy Mathieu pulled down Vitolo inside the area and was also lucky to see only a yellow card before Gameiro fired home the spot-kick.
A remarkable comeback was complete when two substitutes on their debut combined for the equaliser as Konoplyanka tapped home Ciro Immobile’s low cross.
Pedro was introduced three minutes into extra-time and just as in the Super Cup six years ago against Shakhtar Donetsk he grabbed the winner. His shot went into the roof of the net after Beto had parried Messi’s follow-up effort from another dangerous free-kick.
Sevilla still had two great chances to force a memorable match into a penalty shootout but both Coke and Adil Rami fired off target as a relieved Barca hung on.
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