Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was delighted to prove the hero as they won on penalties against Real Betis in Supercopa de Espana semifinal.

Before penalties, the night in Riyadh had begun with Robert Lewandowski giving Barça the lead in the 40th minute after Pedri had a goal disallowed. Betis rallied after the break and drew level through Nabil Fekir after good work from Luiz Henrique.

Lewandowski had the ball in the net again but it was ruled out for offside and the game went into extra time.

Substitue Ansu Fati's stunning volley restored Barça's lead in the 93rd minute but Betis once again fought back. Henrique was again pivotal, toying with Marcos Alonso before setting up Loren Moron to score a fine back-heel.

German goalkeeper Ter Stegen saved two spot kicks from Juanmi and William Carvalho, but already during the game he had made decisive interventions to keep Barça in the tie. So much so that at the end of the game he acknowledged that "I would like to have less work."

Ter Stegen shared the credit for the two saved penalties with the coaching staff: "What you see and what you study is not always what happens. In the end, it is luck and this time we had it, but it is true that for the last year I have been at a very good level both personally and physically and it's thanks to work. I have a spectacular team that makes me improve every day."

The stopper acknowledged that Betis made them suffer: "In the first half we were good, with a lot of ball possession, but the second half was difficult for us, because with the change they made, they achieved superiority in midfield. They had more control and possession in the second half and it was obvious that we were tired, but it was about being in the final and we are."