2009 Super Cup: Pedro pounces to add to Barça glory
Article summary
A 115th-minute goal from substitute Pedro Rodríguez ended Shakhtar Donetsk's resistance and gave Barcelona a third UEFA Super Cup triumph in Monaco.
Article top media content
Article body
Barcelona 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk, aet
(Pedro 115)
Spain's first treble winners in 2008/09, Barcelona started the new campaign as they ended the old by collecting silverware with the previous weekend's domestic Super Cup victory. Yet Josep Guardiola's team struggled to unpick a well-drilled Shakhtar defence despite enjoying the vast majority of the possession.
The UEFA Cup holders, bidding to become the 23rd side to lift the UEFA Super Cup and the first Ukrainian winners since Dynamo Kyiv's 1975 triumph, held out to take the game to 30 additional minutes and looked to have earned a penalty shoot-out. Pedro had other ideas, however, exchanging passes with the tireless Lionel Messi to finally beat Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov with a low shot and add yet another trophy to Barça's ever-expanding collection.
"It's a great evening," said Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola. "This is the second time I've won this trophy. I'm very lucky to have been chosen to coach these great players. They've worked very hard, made sacrifices and it's all worked out." Shakhtar counterpart Mircea Lucescu was left ruing a "lack of experience", adding: "It's OK to lose to a great team like Barcelona, but you don't have to be happy about it."