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Barcelona celebrate their victory over Real Sociedad.
Antoine Griezmann sent a message to Barcelona match winner Ricky Puig after the youngster converted the decisive penalty to send the Catalans to the Spanish Super Cup final.
Barca beat Real Sociedad 3-2 in a dramatic post-match penalty shootout 1-1 in extra time. Griezmann took the penalty, but he conceded a terrible steal that he shot over the bar.
Fortunately, the mistake was not costly, as Puig converted his fifth penalty of the night into victory. After the final whistle, Griezmann received a thank you for his teammate.
| Griezmann challenges Ricky Puig after he missed a penalty: Thanks Ricky, I owe you a dinner https://t.co/kT0Jc9yBFS.
– BarcaTimes (@BarcaTimes) January 13, 2021
Barcelona will now face Real Madrid or Athletic in the final on Sunday. The two La Liga rivals will meet at the Estadio La Rosaleda in Malaga on Thursday in the second semi-final.
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Griezmann reacts to the victory
Griezmann may have missed the penalty kick, but he still made a pass during the game. The World Cup winner served Frankie de Jong with a beautiful header to give Barcelona the lead.
But the Catalans couldn’t keep their heads. De Jong missed a handball early in the second half, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to equalise for Real Sociedad.
Neither team could score another goal, although the game went into extra time, resulting in a penalty shoot-out. De Jong missed the first penalty for Barcelona, Griezmann was also offside but didn’t look too depressed after the game.
Great team! !! Barcaaaaaa!!! pic.twitter.com/IVoGhtsdIN
– Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) January 14, 2021
Miralem Pjanic and Ousmane Dembele continued to struggle, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two brilliant saves to put Barcelona on the brink of victory. Puig then converted the penalty awarded to him, scoring his first goal for the club and winning the game.
Pig does not give up hope of first team
Puig’s penalty was a great moment for the youngster, especially as he struggles for game time under Ronald Koeman and heads into the 2020-21 season with Barcelona.
He was advised to take a loan move this season to play regularly, but he insisted on staying and succeeding at Barcelona and reiterated that desire after his goal as a penalty hero.
Ricky Puig: I never lost my smile. I’m a lucky girl. Even when I’m not playing, I have my family, my health. If Ronald gives me minutes, I’ll try my luck; if not, I’ll keep working hard. I will never throw in the towel.
– Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) January 13, 2021
Puig is hoping Sunday’s final will last a few more minutes, but it’s still hard to see how he’ll start the match. The game offers Barcelona the chance to win their first trophy of the season.
In the third round of the Copa del Rey against Cornella on the 21st. In January, however, Puig was finally able to secure a spot on the starting eleven. Koeman is expected to make a big change to the squad to finish in third place, which could give Puig a great chance to shine.
Barca are a big favourite to win the Copa del Rey, especially since their reserve team beat Cornella 1-0 in the Segunda Division in December. However, the Catalans eliminated La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in the second round.
READ NOW: Ricky Puig and Ter Stegen’s reaction to Barcelona’s penalty shoot-out victory.
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