Caicedo on target as Espanyol beat Barça to win the Catalan Super Cup

Caicedo on target as Espanyol beat Barça to win the Catalan Super Cup

An experimental Barcelona side was beaten by Espanyol in Tarragona on Tuesday night

Espanyol won the Catalan Super Cup thanks to a solitary goal from Felipe Caicedo, which proved to be one of few creal hances either side had. Luis Enrique’s Barcelona side dominated the play, but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third. 

The game began with Barça on top, who surprised by situating Alex Carbonell, a player with attacking talents, as the defensive midfielder behind Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes, with Carles Aleña further forward. Arda Turan and Paco Alcacer were also part of the front three. 

Barça ended the first half with nearly 75 per cent of possession, but it was Espanyol who scored. Caicedo won a foot race with Jeremy Mathieu to get on the end of a pass from Jose Antonio Reyes, round Jordi Masip and roll the ball home. 

The game’s pattern did not change. Andre Gomes fired wide and the best moments came from the young Carbonell, whose dribbling often broke the Espanyol lines. Denis Suarez, as well, was another positive for Luis Enrique on a grey night in Tarragona. 

Alcacer couldn’t get on the end of an Aleña cross as Barça continued to control play. Espanyol looked comfortable in their own half, though, and Barça looked even less likely to score after Arda Turan, one of few players to add anything, was taken off.