RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved Juanmi’s and William Carvalho’s poorly-struck spot kicks to give Barcelona a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Betis after the teams had finished level at 2-2 following extra time in an exhilarating Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia.
Barca set up a dream showpiece clash on Sunday with Real Madrid, who had also beaten Valencia on penalties earlier in the week.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was Barcelona’s hero as he made a series of outstanding saves during a match before blocking the efforts of Juanmi and Carvalho in the shootout.
“It was a beautiful match, one of those the fans show up to watch,” Ter Stegen told Movistar Plus.
“I´m very proud of myself. I think since last year I´ve been going through a great moment in my career and in my life,” he added according to Reuters.
“It was a very difficult match mainly after the break because they dominated possession and made it really though for us. They were superior in the midfield, had control of the match and we had to fight really hard to advance.”
Barcelona started well but once Pedri’s 23rd minute goal was ruled out by the VAR for an offside in the build-up, they started to lose ground to Betis.
After two outstanding reflex saves by Ter Stegen blocked Luiz Henrique and Rodri’s bullet-like shots, Ousmane Dembele burst forward in a fine individual effort before he passed the ball to Lewandowski, who beat goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from close range to score the opener.
Betis came back in the second half, pressing Barcelona up-front, and Fekir slotted in a low shot just inside the far post in the 77th minute after being set-up by Luiz Henrique.
Lewandowski thought he had put Barca back in-front with a strike three minutes later but VAR again ruled-out the goal for an offside in the build-up and the match went into extra time.
Ansu Fati put Barcelona back in front, finishing off a stunning move from just inside the area, but Betis fought back again and equalised thanks to another fine effort from Luiz Henrique, whose cross was brilliantly finished by substitute Loren Moron with a heel-kick from just inside the six-yard-box.
Barcelona did not put a foot wrong in the shootout while Betis were left ruing the penalty misses by Juanmi and Carvalho.
It will be the first time Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Madrid meet in the Super Cup final since the competition was revamped and taken to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
“It will be a beautiful match,” Ter Stegen said. “Everyone here wants to see a match like this and I´m thrilled to be able to play in it and to try to win it.”
Madrid will try to equal Barcelona with 13 Spanish Super Cup trophies, the most among all clubs. Barcelona will be trying to win its first Super Cup trophy since 2018.
Manuel Pellegrini´s Betis was trying to reach its first Super Cup final since 2005, when it lost to Barcelona.
“We are disappointed, the team played a great match,” Pellegrini said according to AP. “We felt like we deserved to win in regulation but it wasn’t possible, and then Ter Stegen made some good saves.”
The Super Cup used to be played only between the Spanish league champion and the Copa del Rey winner, but now the runners-up in both competitions also participate in Final Four tournament that was taken to Saudi Arabia in a lucrative deal for the Spanish soccer federation.
Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 at home in the first “clásico” of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in October.
Lewandowski scored his first goal since the World Cup after a pass from Ousmane Dembélé in the 40th minute. He scored in Poland´s 3-1 loss to France in December in the round of 16 in Qatar, but hadn´t found the net for Barcelona since a 1-0 win at Valencia in the Spanish league in October.
Betis equalized in the 77th when Fekir sent a low shot past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Lewandowski thought he had scored his second – and a possible winner late in regulation – but the goal was disallowed for offside in the buildup.
Fati scored early in extra time with a volley from just inside the area, and Morón evened the match about 10 minutes later with a backheel touch from close range.
Betis played the final minutes of extra time with 10 men as Andrés Guardado was sent off with a second yellow card for a hard foul.
