Two trophies in two weeks for Barcelona

Fabregas on target in 2-0 Super Cup win over Porto.

MONACO:

Cesc Fabregas scored his first competitive goal for Barcelona as the European champions brushed aside Porto 2-0 to win the UEFA Super Cup at Monaco.

The ex-Arsenal captain was on target two minutes from time after coming on as a substitute just eight minutes earlier. Lionel Messi had put Barcelona ahead in the 39th minute as the Spanish giants added the European Super Cup to their domestic cup triumph of last week.

Porto, the Europa League winners, ended the match with nine men after Jorge Rolando and Fredy Guarin were red-carded in the closing stages. It was Fabregas’s first goal since he scored for Arsenal against Huddersfield in the FA Cup back in January, and Barcelona’s new boy still appeared grateful to his old club after the match.

“Thank you all for your great support,” Fabregas wrote on his Twitter account. “And all I can remember in this moment is what Arsenal has done for me in my career.”

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola, who has now won 12 trophies in a span of just over three years, praised his team, while giving special mention to Messi.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2011.