Spanish, August 22: Barcelona has won its record ninth soccer trophy in the Spanish Super Cup by defeating Seville 4-0 in the second leg for a 5-3 aggregate.
The Catalan club star Lionel Messi scored a hat trick at the Camp Nou Stadium on Saturday, blotting out his disappointing performance in South Africa’s World Cup.
In the 14th minute, Pedro Rodriguez delivered a low cross that rebounded in off defender Abdoulay Konko.
Nine minutes later, Messi ran on to Xavi Hernandez’s long through pass and put a first-time shot past goalkeeper Andres Palop.
The Argentinian striker scored his second and put his side ahead on aggregate in the 44th, shooting high into the net after being put through by Daniel Alves.
Messi ran on to Andres Iniesta’s pass to complete his hat trick in the 90th.
Having lost the first leg 3-1 in Seville last week, Barcelona fielded an almost full-strength team to win La Liga’s traditional curtain raiser for a record ninth time.
The ninth trophy means the city has one more than arch-rival Real Madrid. The win is also a boost for Barcelona ahead of the league season, which begins next weekend.
—–Agencies