Chelsea beat Villarreal on penalties to win UEFA Super Cup
Chelsea beat Villarreal 6-5 on penalties to lift the UEFA Super Cup after an intense 120 minutes of football. The match was tied 1-1 after extra time as Chelsea stood tall in the penalty shootout after substitute goal-keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga saved Raul Albiol's spot-kick. The Champions League winners won their second trophy under Thomas Tuchel. Here are the records that were broken.
How did the match pan out?
Hakim Ziyech opened the scoring for Chelsea midway through the opening 45 minutes. However, he was then forced off with what looked like a worrying shoulder injury before half-time. Villarreal hit the woodwork either side of the break before Spanish forward Gerard Moreno equalized in the 73rd minute. Chelsea came close to scoring the winner in extra time through Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount.
UEFA Super Cup: Presenting the notable stats
This was the second UEFA Super Cup win for Chelsea in what was their fifth final in the competition. They had earlier snatched a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in 1998. As per Opta, UCL winners have now won the Super Cup in eight of the last nine seasons. Notably, they had won just four of the previous nine before this run.
Kepa stands tall to defy Villarreal
Kepa was brought off the bench by Chelsea manager Tuchel just a few minutes before the end of extra time. The Spaniard dived low to his right to save from Albiol. Notably, this was his second save of the shootout having also denied Aissa Mandi.
The German connection and Tuchel's record
For the third year in a row, the UEFA Super Cup has been won by a side managed by a German coach. Jurgen Klopp won the trophy with Liverpool in 2019, Hansi Flick lifted the same with Bayern Munich in 2020, and now Tuchel has done it with Chelsea. As per Opta, Tuchel has never lost against Spanish opposition in his managerial career.
Unique record scripted by Chelsea
Notably, just three of the 47 UEFA Super Cup finals have gone to penalties. Premier League side Chelsea have been involved in all three. They had earlier lost against Bayern Munich in 2013 and Liverpool in 2019.
