Monaco (AP) — Barcelona substitute Pedro Rodriguez scored the only goal
deep into extra time to lead the European Cup champions to a 1-0
victory over UEFA Cup winner Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in the
European Super Cup on Friday.
Rodriguez pounced onto a pass from
Lionel Messi with five minutes of extra time remaining and prodded the
ball into the bottom corner of the goal.
Barcelona last won the
Super Cup in 1997 and also in 1992, but lost in 2006 to UEFA Cup winner
Sevilla. Coach Pep Guardiola guided Barcelona to three titles last
season, adding La Liga and Copa del Rey in Spain to the Champions
League crown.
Messi, Barca's star in the Champions League final
win over Manchester United, rolled the ball from his right foot to his
left and sent a reverse pass into Rodriguez's path as he ran around the
back of a defender.
Tempers flared at the end of regulation when
Messi dashed into the penalty area and complained that he had been
impeded as he was about to shoot.
Shakhtar didn't threaten
Barcelona's goal until extra time when substitute Julius Aghahowa ran
through and forced goalkeeper Victor Valdes into a low save in the 97th
minute. Barcelona replacement Bojan Krkic's angled shot was saved by
goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov a minute later as the game finally came to
life.