Joan García shone in his first Clásico: 7 saves that won the Super Cup

FC Barcelona revalidated their Spanish Super Cup title in a great final against Real Madrid (3-2) where Joan García, once again, showed his hierarchy between the posts. The player from Sallent had kept a clean sheet in his last four matches and, although he conceded 2 goals on Sunday, he was not responsible for either of them.

On the contrary, the '13' shone with 7 saves, the last save in stoppage time with Madrid pushing for the equalizer and Barça down to ten men due to Frenkie de Jong's expulsion. Joan stopped a point-blank shot from Álvaro Carreras in the 90+6th minute, after a run down the left flank that left the full-back with the entire goal at his disposal to shoot.

In the last play of the match, García appeared again, this time to catch a header from Raúl Asencio. In neither of these actions did he give a rebound, a key factor in preserving the lead of a Barça team that was always ahead on the scoreboard.

Joan García: 'Top' Records in His First Clásico

Previously, the Catalan goalkeeper had confidently saved shots inside the area from Rodrygo and Gonzalo García (in the first half), in addition to neutralizing a couple of attempts by Vinicius Jr. The '7' made it 1-1 at halftime, culminating a great individual play in which he left Jules Koundé trailing.

The low shot was accurate enough to beat Joan García, who could do nothing to prevent his goal from being breached after four games without conceding. Then, in the 45+7', Gonzalo made it 2-2 with a shot from the ground, capturing a rebound off the crossbar after a header from Huijsen that Raphinha had cleared, guarding the post

In addition to his 7 saves, the Catalan goalkeeper **completed 24 of 27 passes (89%), recovered 10 balls** and made 6 of 9 long shots (67%). He also won 100% of aerial duels (3) and has conceded 16 goals in 18 games this season, in addition to 8 clean sheets.

First official title in the career of the man from Sallent

For Joan García, the Spanish Super Cup represents his first official title not only with Barça, but also in his entire career. The Sallent native never won trophies with the first team of **Espanyol** (2021-2024) and, with the Spanish national team, he won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Hopefully, Luis de la Fuente will consider him for the World Cup in June. For now, Unai Simón (Athletic) remains the starter. David Raya (Arsenal) and Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad) have been the two alternatives most valued by the La Roja coach.