Xavi apologised to the fans after the embarrassing defeat against Real Madrid. Worst performance, I accept the criticism, says Barcelona coach

Barcelona failed to win the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid on Sunday night, losing 1:4 to their rivals.Coach Xavi apologised to the fans afterwards for this disgraceful and possibly worst performance of the season.

It would be hard to find a worse performance from Barcelona in the current competition year. The Catalan giant lost to Real Madrid 1:4 in the Spanish Super Cup final and after a month or so, they recorded another four-goal drubbing.

In December last year, Barcelona were beaten 4-2 by Girona at the Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys.

Barcelona kicked off the new year with a 2-1 league win over Las Palmas and added a Copa del Rey victory on 7 January. Four days later, they beat Osasuna 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup, and headed to the final to face Real.

But it was the match against the White Ballet that didn’t go as Xavi’s charges expected. In the seventh minute, Vinícius Júnior changed the game and three minutes later he added a second goal. Robert Lewandowski scored the equaliser for the Catalans in the 33rd minute.

However, before the end of the first half, Brazilian Vinícius struck again from the penalty spot to not only give Real back a two-goal lead but also complete his hat-trick. In the second half, in the 64th minute, Rodrygo made the final 4-1.

Xavi: We apologise to the fans, we gave the worst performance

After the game, coach Xavi commented on Barcelona’s very poor performance and he didn’t mince words. He took the responsibility for the defeat.

“I am disappointed and sad. It’s a shame, we came into the final with high hopes and we gave the worst performance. We started badly, then we had a chance to come back into the game, but the penalty (for Real) killed the game, ” said Xavi, quoted by ESPN.

“We apologize to the fans. It’s a moment when we have to accept the criticism that will come. In the final, we didn’t show the side of the team that we should have. It’s a (unnecessary) lost trophy and I’m responsible for that. It’s a tough defeat, but we’ve recovered from those many times before. We will keep working hard,” he added.

Barcelona will not win the Spanish Super Cup in the current season, but there are still three trophies up for grabs. That is the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and the domestic competition, in which the Catalan giant is eight points behind fourth-placed Girona.

Source: ESPN, MARCA, X