Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Match Report, Rating Cesc Fabregas and Fabio Coentrao

The Spanish Supercup is usually considered a preseason friendly between the top two sides in Spain from a year ago, but this match was far from a friendly. Both teams were making countless challenges in the early going to win possession from the other side, leading to a fast paced start to this second leg.

It must be said that Los Blancos got off to the superior start of the two sides, as a result of pressing very high up the pitch. That being said, the Catalan's drew first blood in the 15th minute through Iniesta, who finely poached his chance following a superb ball from none other than Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo leveled for Madrid on 20 minutes following a lapse in concentration from Barcelona's back four. Los Blancos were denied by both Victor Valdes and the crossbar in the 24th following a cracking hit by Ronaldo. The shear power on that one had 90,000 on the edge of their seats.

In the 42nd minute, Barca took a 2-1 lead following a fabulous flick by former Manchester United centre-backk Gerard Pique to put Messi in on goal. The little Argentine forward chipped the ball over Casillas and into the back of the net.

After an exciting and rampantly paced first half, the game took a massive downturn at the start of the second half. It was somewhat disappointing compared to the first 125 minutes of the tie, but everything took a turn when Karim Benzema got on the score-sheet in the 82nd. The Frenchman had been quite wasteful in front of goal in the game, but his goal leveled the score, and more importantly, leveled Madrid with Barca on aggregate.

Not so fast, said the Catalans. Messi scored the goal of the game in the 87th minute following a brilliant cross into the area by Adriano, who spent more time on the ground than on his feet, but somehow managed to bag an assist.

The result was not all that surprising, with Barca being the clear-cut favourites. The mayhem that ensued after Marcelo's lunging challege on Cesc Fabregas was not a shock, either. These two clubs had very heated affairs last season, and though Marcelo's challenge was reckless and malicious, it will provide for a very intense season between these bitter rivals.

Man of the Match: Lionel Messi

Now let's take a look at how the newcomers for both Barcelona and Real Madrid impacted this one.

Cesc Fàbregas

Player Rating: 8/10

Fàbregas entered the match in the 83rd minute, following Madrid's leveling the scoreline through Karim Benzema. The Spanish international was quite lively despite just being featured for 14 minutes.

Fàbregas' debut for the Catalan's was far from just a cameo appearance. He and Adriano played a brilliant three-man game with Messi and the Argentine's finish did not disappoint.

Shortly thereafter, Fàbregas played Messi in on goal, but the Argentine couldn't find enough space to pull the trigger with the ball on his less-favoured right foot.

All in all, Fàbregas did very well. All you can do is congratulate him really. After all, it took him just one game to win a trophy with the Catalan Conquerors, after going a whopping 252 games without a trophy at Arsenal.

Fábio Coentrão

Player Rating: 9/10

With his absolutely brilliant display versus Barcelona, Fábio Coentrão proved that he is worth every penny of €30 million. The Portuguese left-back was superb, especially in the first half.

He showed great ability to win the ball from the likes of David Villa and Xavi. With him and Ronaldo playing on the left flank, Real dominated that side of the pitch in the opening 45 minutes. His poise and control while on the ball was also very impressive.

In the second half, Coentrão moved from left-back to central midfield, after Marcelo was introduced in favour of Sami Khedira. Despite playing out of position in the second half, the Portuguese international was just as eye-opening as he was in the first. 45 minutes.

His tireless work-rate and clever runs forward may have convinced José Mourinho to feature him alongside Xabi Alonso later this season, allowing Marcelo to play as an attack-minded left-back.