Barcelona’s aspirations to retain their Spanish Super Cup crown were ruthlessly shattered in a disheartening 4-1 defeat against perennial rivals Real Madrid.
The crushing loss left head coach Xavi Hernandez deeply disappointed as Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior orchestrated a hat trick, posing a formidable threat that exposed Barcelona’s defensive vulnerabilities.
Xavi laments Barcelona’s defeat against Real Madrid – Getty imageIn a post-match press conference, Xavi expressed his profound disappointment, stating, “We had a lot of hope and we ended up with the worst result of all. Real Madrid did a lot of damage to us on the counter-attack." He also issued an apology to the fans for Barcelona’s struggles in vying for the title.
Despite the setback, Xavi remains optimistic about Barcelona's resilience. “I have experienced many defeats in my career, and in the end, we always recovered. Barca will return.”
Meanwhile, the defeat underscores the evident gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid this season, with the Catalans currently trailing their rivals by seven points in La Liga.
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