Chelsea win Super Cup : Kepa the hero as Blues win on penalties
August 12, 2021
Chelsea won the Super Cup – with substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga the penalty hero.
Chelsea made the ideal start in Belfast and controlled large parts of the first half, going in at half-time with a 1-0 lead thanks to another pre-season goal from Hakim Ziyech.
Ziyech was in the right place for teammate Kai Havertz’s pull-back in the Villarreal box to fire home the opener. However, the Morrocan’s night didn’t last much longer as he was forced off with a shoulder injury before the break.
The La Liga side came out in the second half with a renewed sense of confidence and grabbed a deserved equaliser when Gerard Moreno finished off a well-worked move with an expert effort in the Chelsea box.
Extra-time came and went and it was down to the penalty shootout, as the Blues came out on top 6-5 to lift the Super Cup.
Kepa was very active during the shootout, putting off opponents by getting in their faces and producing some theatrics on the goalline. It worked as he saved two penalties – from Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol.
After he saved Albiol’s kick, he was mobbed by jubilant team-mates who wanted to celebrate the moment with him.
Manager Thomas Tuchel, whose side were in the game after beating Manchester City in the Champions League final, revealed afterwards it has been an idea in the pipeline since February.
“It was not spontaneous,” he told BT Sport. “We talked about it with the goalkeepers after the first cup game against Barnsley.
“Kepa has the best percentage at saving penalties. The analysing guys and goalkeeping coaches showed me the data. We spoke to the players and told them this could happen when we play in knockout games.”
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