RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 13 (AP): Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved two penalties and Pedri converted the deciding spot kick as Barcelona defeated Real Betis 4-2 in a shootout Thursday to set up a Spanish Super Cup final against rival Real Madrid this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
Madrid defeated Valencia on penalties in the other semifinal on Wednesday, when Thibaut Courtois made the decisive save.
"Ter Stegen makes the difference," Barcelona coach Xavi said. "He makes the two saves and sends us to the final."
The decisive match will be on Sunday at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Barcelona converted all four of its penalties in the shootout and Ter Stegen stopped the efforts by Juanmi and Willian Carvalho to give the Catalan club the victory.
"The match was super difficult, Betis made it tough for us," Ter Stegen said. "In the end it's about making it to finals, and we've made it. You also need some luck in the shootout, and this time it was on our side."
The teams drew 1-1 in regulation after Robert Lewandowski scored for Barcelona in the first half and Nabil Fekir equalized for Betis near the end. The score was 2-2 after extra time as Ansu Fati gave Barcelona an early lead and Loren Moron equalized again for Betis.
In the shootout, Fati, Lewandowski and Franck Kessie also scored for Barcelona. Moron and Willian Jose converted for Betis.
It will be the first time Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Madrid meet in the Super Cup final since the competition was revamped and taken to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
"It will be a beautiful match," Ter Stegen said. "Everyone here wants to see a match like this and I'm thrilled to be able to play in it and to try to win it."
Madrid will try to equal Barcelona with 13 Spanish Super Cup trophies, the most among all clubs. Barcelona will be trying to win its first Super Cup trophy since 2018.
Manuel Pellegrini's Betis was trying to reach its first Super Cup final since 2005, when it lost to Barcelona.
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