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| The loss against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final will increase the pressure on Barcelona manager Xavi as his team sits fourth in the LaLiga standings. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images |
Barcelona coach Xavi HernĂĄndez repeatedly apologized to the club's supporters after Sunday's 4-1 humbling at the hands of Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
VinĂcius JĂșnior scored a first-half hat-trick at Al-Awwal Park, including two in the first 10 minutes, and Rodrygo Goes completed the rout in the second half as Madrid inflicted revenge on Barça for last year's defeat in the final.
Robert Lewandowski had briefly helped Barça back into the game at 2-1, but VinĂcius' third goal, via a penalty, killed off any hopes of a ClĂĄsico comeback before the break.
"I am disappointed and sad," Xavi told Movistar after the match. "This is football and today we have to deal with the painful side of the game.
"It is a shame. We had a lot of hope going into the final and we've produced our worst performance. We started badly, we had a chance to come back, but the penalty killed the game.
"We were never comfortable. Madrid did a lot of damage on the counter and in transition. We apologise to the fans, we didn't compete, but I've experienced a lot of defeats with this club. Barça will come back."
