Javier Mascherano saw Barcelona respond against Atletico Madrid and deserve to leave the Vicente Calderon with a 1-1 result.
The Catalans struggled for pace in the Supercopa de Espana first leg, with David Villa deservedly giving his new team the lead against his old one.
Neymar equalised in the second half in a response that their Argentine defender felt merited the result.
“Atletico are a very tough team. They know how to compete and they believe in their manager,” Mascherano reflected post-match.
“In the first half we were unable to do what we wanted. They were tight, we couldn’t find any spaces and the pitch didn’t benefit us. It was slow and dry.
“In the second half pushed more, we were more intense went it came to fighting for 50/50 balls and that’s why we drew level. Everything was more equal and I think the result is fair.
“The two matches are finals. We aren’t favourites, it’s at 50 per cent. We know that we can play much better. Sometimes you can’t play like you want to, you just do what you can.”
