Published on 02:46 PM, March 08, 2018

Heroic Cillessen hands Barca Catalan Super Cup

Jasper Cillessen during the Catalan Super Cup final. Photo: Barcelona's official twitter

Barca goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen made a number of brilliant saves to help Barca win against city rivals Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup.

Eight first team players were selected for the final by Barca coach Valverde with Ousmane Dembele and Aleix Vidal also featuring in the match.

Striker Paco Alcacer wasted an early chance in a game where midfielder Denis Suarez showed his mettle as he drove the team forward and created opportunities.

However, Suarez suffered an injury that saw him go off the field. Espanyol had the better chances and threatened to retain the trophy for the second consecutive year, but Cillessen was on guard to keep out Pablo Piatti, Adria Pedrosa and Alex Lopez to keep Barca in the game.

The match ended goalless in normal time and Cillesen was once again the hero in the penalty shootouts as Barca won 4-2 on penalties.