The UEFA Super Cup is an annual match between the winners of two prestigious European football club competitions. There are only two teams participating in the Cup: the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the Europa League. A new season of European Leagues traditionally starts several days after this match.
This year’s 46th UEFA Super Cup was played between London’s Chelsea, who beat Manchester City in the Champions League final, and Villarreal, who won the Europa League trophy. The match between the strongest European clubs took place in Belfast at Windsor Park stadium.
According to professional picks, who were published by various sports portals like LionTips right before the match, the favorite was the London club.
Chelsea’s road to Champions League victory
Chelsea had a good last season in their national league. Despite the fact that they did not achieve first place in the standings, in the Champions League final they managed to beat the winner of the Premier League – Manchester City. In addition, on their way to the Champions League final, Chelsea beat such titled clubs as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Porto.
To add, Chelsea are considered one of the top contenders for victory in the 2021-2022 season this Premier League season. Sports analysts suggest that the main battle for first place in the Premier League will unfold between Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. Let us remind you that Lukaku is returning to the London club, which will strengthen the team even more.
Villarreal’s road to victory in the Europa League
Villarreal was not the favorite of the meeting, although it is also a very strong team. Their path to the trophy – the Europa League Cup – was also not easy. On the way to the final in their tournament, they had to defeat teams such as two Dynamos – from Kyiv and Zagreb, as well as a football club from Salzburg.
At the playoff stage, Villarreal beat London’s Arsenal and faced another English club in the final, Manchester United. The main time in the final meeting ended with a score of 1: 1. Nevertheless, the Europa League final was remembered for the dramatic penalty shootout in which the teams had to hit over 20 shots. The players from Villarreal turned out to be more accurate and lucky to win.
How teams played in the UEFA Super Cup
Both teams had a good match. The first to open the score were football players from London. The players from Villarreal managed to recoup only at the end of the match. As a result, the main time ended with a score of 1: 1 on the scoreboard. Despite the not-so-resultative score, the match was filled with beautiful moments and a real struggle.
Chelsea and Villarreal kept the score unchanged throughout the overtime. After that, the teams had a penalty shoot-out in which luck was on the side of the London footballers. They scored 6 and conceded only 5 goals.
Despite the fact that Unai Emery, the coach of Villarreal, managed to win many cups in his career, this time he did not manage to take the UEFA Super Cup. Perhaps the Spaniard will be lucky next time, because he will definitely do his best to win the Europa League with his team one more time.