Pedro wins nine-goal thriller

Pedro Rodriguez came off the bench to win Barcelona the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla in a 5-4 blockbuster at Tbilisi’s Dinamo Arena on Tuesday.

The winger had been expected to fill in for Neymar, who recently came down with a bout of mumps, on the left flank, but news of his desire to leave Camp Nou shortly before kick-off meant Rafinha got the nod in his countryman’s absence.

Elsewhere for the Catalans, an injury to Jordi Alba saw Jeremy Mathieu enter the fold at left-back, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen was preferred to Claudio Bravo in goal.

Sevilla, on the other hand, gave competitive debuts to summer signings Adil Rami and Michael Krohn-Dehli and pipped for Kevin Gameiro over Ciro Immobile to take the place of the departed Carlos Bacca up top.

Inside just three minutes, Javier Mascherano was lucky to escape with just a booking for a lunge on a goal-bound Jose Antonio Reyes from behind. Nonetheless, Ever Banega proceeded to bend home the resulting free kick.

However, Messi would draw Barca level with a fine set-piece of his own, via Grzegorz Krychowiak’s deliberate tugging of Luis Suarez’s shirt in the D, the Argentine curling his effort into the top-right corner to leave Beto with no chance.

The No 10 looked hungry throughout the first half, constantly keeping the Andalucians on their toes with his slick footwork, yet he would fire his side ahead with another free kick, this time sending a piledriver past the goalkeeper.

Suarez saw a goal rightfully ruled out for offside, but he made amends for his late run on Jeremy Mathieu’s cross and failed one-on-one at the tail end of the opening 45 by feeding Rafinha with a square ball for 3-1.

After the break, it looked to be curtains for Sevilla as Benoit Tremoulinas’ misplaced pass fell straight to Sergio Busquets, who was left with the simple task of playing in Suarez for an easy finish straight through the middle.

However, they would rise from the dead. Just five minutes later, Jose Antonio Reyes met a deep cross in the Barca box unmarked and subsequently smashed home a finish with aplomb.

The momentum had suddenly swung to the Europa League winners, confirmed when Mathieu hauled down Vitolo in his own box and Gameiro rifled the resulting spot-kick past Ter Stegen.

The Frenchman was a surprising choice to leave the pitch for Immobile, but it quickly proved inspired as the substitute squared the ball on a plate for fellow addition Yevhen Konoplyanka at the far post.

Against all odds, Sevilla had scored three goals in a 25-minute spell to take the match to extra time, but like the greatest of Hollywood scripts, up stepped Pedro from the bench to blast home the rebound from Messi’s originally-saved shot.

Yet it could have ended in penalties if luck was on Rami’s side and the defender was able to control a rapid rebound, having been unmarked when the ball cannoned off his shin.

Barcelona 5-4 Sevilla

Messi 7, 15 Rafinha 44, Suarez 52, Pedro 115 (B) Banega 3, Reyes 57, Gameiro pen 71, Konoplyanka 81 (S)

Barcelona Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano (Pedro 93), Mathieu; Busquets, Iniesta (Sergi Roberto 63), Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Rafinha (Bartra 78)

Sevilla: Beto; Coke, Rami, Krychowiak, Tremoulinas; Banega, Krohn-Dehli, Iborra (Mariano 80); Vitolo, Gameiro (Immobile 80), Reyes (Konoplyanka 68)

Referee: Collum [SCO]

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