Luis Suarez and Munir El Haddadi scored second-half goals to give Barcelona a 2-0 win at Sevilla in the first leg of their Supercopa de Espana tie.
The visitors struggled to get going in a flat first half at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but they stepped things up following the restart to take a convincing lead into Wednesday's return tie.
Sevilla, who have won this competition on just one previous occasion, failed to test Barca stopper Claudio Bravo when on top and were soon made to pay by their more prolific opponents.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Spanish Super Cup first-leg meeting between Sevilla and Barcelona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The Catalan giants have lifted this trophy more times than any other side, going in search of their 15th success across this week's double-header. We start this evening in Andalusia, before heading to the Camp Nou in three days' time.
Much like its English equivalent, winning the Supercopa is not the be all and end all when it comes to domestic success, but it is certainly a good way to kick off the new campaign. It is worth noting, however, that no side has gone on to win La Liga after lifting this trophy since back in 2010, which ironically enough was Barcelona under Pep Guardiola.
Barca beat Sevilla 2-0 at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid just a few months back to win the Spanish Cup, with goals in that one arriving in extra time following a red card apiece. An explosive evening of football possibly lies in wait, then, but this will hopefully be a game best remembered for its goals rather than its play-acting, as witnessed in the past when the Catalan side have come up against Real Madrid.
TEAM NEWS!
SEVILLA XI: Sergio Rico; Mariano, Mercado, Rami, Escudero; Kranevitter, N'Zonzi; Vitolo, Franco Vazquez, Kiyotake; Vietto
BARCELONA XI: Bravo; S. Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Mathieu; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Turan, Messi, Suarez
Sevilla have entered this curtain-raising competition by virtue of reaching the Copa del Rey final in May - a backdoor route in many ways with Barcelona claiming a league and cup double. The Rojiblancos did taste success in the Europa League, however, beating Liverpool in the Basel final to make it three in a row, although this team is much changed since then with a number of players - and indeed the manager - departing.
The Andalusian side have lost Grzegorz Krychowiak from their engine room, while Kevin Gameiro, Ciro Immobile, Fernando Llorente and Coke have each also departed. It was the loss of the latter which particularly aggrieved transfer guru Monchi, who claimed that Sevilla had lost a player with plenty of talent. There has been plenty of incoming business, too, as you would expect, but how many of those new faces will we see tonight?
Franco Vazquez was a £13m capture from Palermo; Joaquin Correa an £11m purchase; Wissem Ben Yedder another creative addition; and perhaps most interestingly of all, Ganso has finally decided to make a move to European football much like his former teammate Neymar. Vazquez is named in the starting lineup for the second game in succession, while Hiroshi Kiyotake and Luciano Vietto are also selected in the Sevilla XI.
Gabriel Mercado, Adil Rami, Sergio Escudero and Matias Kranevitter are the four new faces from last time out - a cruel defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup last week - but it is Vietto who is given the nod up top. It may take time for this Rojiblancos side to click into gear, as touched up by boss Jorge Sampaoli pre-match when he said that victory in this competition would essentially be a bonus.
Barcelona are still without the services of Neymar in their famed forward trio, meanwhile, meaning a place for Arda Turan alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez for the second game running. Munir fared very well there earlier in pre-season when scoring a few goals, but Luis Enrique has opted to go with the ex-Atletico Madrid player as the man to fill the huge Neymar void.
This will be the first cup final of any sort that Barcelona have competed in without Dani Alves since 2007, having seen the full-back depart this summer to join Juventus. Sergio Roberto is the man to take up his position in defence - an extremely tough role to fulfil in this side, made all the more difficult be the absence of flying Spaniard Jordi Alba on the other flank.
We have seen plenty of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi already during pre-season, with two-thirds of Barcelona's famed forward trio being given time to get up to speed following their summer exploits with Uruguay and Argentina respectively. Since we last saw Barcelona in action, Messi has actually reversed his decision to retire from the international stage, having surprisingly quit after defeat in successive finals.
So a chance for Sampaoli to mark the opening days of his Sevilla tenure with a piece of silverware over the coming days, then, as he looks to replicate the success enjoyed with Chile last year. The 56-year-old is a fiery character, but it seems to have worked as he guided his nation to success on home soil in 2015 before departing earlier this year following a falling out. Chile went on to retain their title in July, beating Messi's Argentina in the final.
Sampaoli has taken over from PSG-bound Unai Emery, who will be best remembered around these parts for his incredible domestic success - particularly in Europe where the Rojiblancos won the Europa League title three years on the bounce. Sevilla did not do great in the league last season, though, as they incredibly went the entire campaign without winning a single away game to finish down in seven place - 36 points off the top three.
Sevilla also lost their last three league games of the season - a run that included a 4-1 home thrashing by Granada - but they did have the Europa League and Copa del Rey to soften the blow as has so often been the case in recent times. Sevilla were unable to beat Barca in a tight final at the Vicente Calderon, although they did show great character to wrestle back control of their meeting with Liverpool when coming from behind to win.
In terms of last season's Copa del Rey run, which is the reason why they are here this evening, Sevilla beat minnows UD Logrones in the early round, before sweeping aside Real Betis, Mirandes and Celta Vigo in the next three two-legged stages to set up a meeting with Barcelona. The Rojiblancos also fell short in that UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid in Norway five days ago, as they let their lead slip away with just seconds left to play.
A Franco Vazquez strike and Yevhen Konoplyanka's penalty helped cancel out an early Marco Asensio goal, but Sergio Ramos popped up in added time for Madrid before Dani Carvajal's belter earned victory for Los Blancos in extra time. A cruel defeat for Sevilla, then, coming after they had racked up six-successive wins under Sampaoli during their pre-season fixtures.
DID YOU KNOW? Barcelona have won the Supercopa de Espana, to give the trophy its proper name, on 14 occasions since its inception in 1982 - more than any other Spanish side. Lionel Messi has also scored the most goals in the competition with 11, but the Catalan giants have not lifted the cup since 2013; falling 5-1 to Athletic Bilbao the last time they reached this stage 12 months ago.
You may remain that Bilbao match quite clearly, as Barcelona shipped four goals during the first leg. They did pull one back in the return tie, but it was nowhere near enough to prevent the Basque outfit from lifting the cup. Sevilla have tasted victory just the once, meanwhile, when seeing off Real Madrid 6-3 over two legs in 2007. What Sampaoli would give for a similar result this week!
Sevilla know full well that they have a real task on their hands if they are to turn one Supercopa triumph into two over the coming days, as Barcelona once again look a real force this campaign. They may be without Neymar, who will of course be a real miss in these opening games, but a few new faces have also been brought in; Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne joining for a combined £65m during the off-season.
One of the big talking points over the summer at the Camp Nou has centred around the goalkeeping situation - will it be Claudio Bravo or Marc-Andre ter Stegen who gets the nod come the opening league game of the season next week. Well both have been used during pre-season, with Bravo the man to be selected this evening, but do not be surprised to see Ter Stegen brought back in for the return leg in Catalonia if he returns to fitness in time.
Barca have won three and lost one of their summer friendlies to date, with that one blemish coming against Liverpool at Wembley eight days ago. It was a real shocker for Enrique's men, as they crumbled at a venue that holds so much history for them with two of their previous European Cup triumphs. Since then we have seen the La Liga champions beat Sampdoria in the Joan Gamper Trophy - another mixed performance in many ways.
Barcelona looked very impressive at times in that annual Nou Camp clash, but they also allowed their opponents to create chances - two of which resulted in goals. It was a similar case in the 4-2 win over Leicester City in the International Champions Cup recently, with the Foxes battling back from three goals down at the break to make it 3-2, before a late goal sealed things for Barca.
As mentioned a little earlier, it has now been six years since the Spanish Super Cup winners went on to lift the La Liga crown. Barcelona seem well suited to do both this season, however, in what is looking likely to be another tightly contested three-way tussle at the summit. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid put up a good fight last term, but in the end it was Enrique's men who just pipped the capital clubs.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Barcelona beat Sevilla 5-4 when these two sides met in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Georgia. They have met five times in the past three years, in fact, with the Catalan club winning three of those. Sevilla did come out on top 2-1 in the first half of the last campaign, though, putting real pressure on their opponents at the time as they lost two in three games.
With a little over 10 minutes to go before kickoff at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, let us now turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Luis Enrique: "It's a different Sevilla with Sampaoli's philosophy. They were already a dangerous team, but now they are even more dangerous. I like Sampaoli's philosophy because his teams are great to watch for the fans. I have not had the luck of meeting him, but I like coaches with an attacking philosophy."
Jorge Sampaoli: "We inherited a squad which had a very defined style of playing and we've startd to build a brand new team. We're advancing well and that is positive news for all of us. Monchi has a great deal of experience on that side of things and I support him, for the great capacity he has in that field. We have the base of the team complete and the preparation for the new season has been cut short for the two finals we have to play."
Enrique full of admiration for his opposite number, then, who he believes will make Sevilla "even more dangerous" this season. The Rojiblancos did not trouble the big boys whatsoever last time out, remember, having finished some 36 points off Atletico Madrid in third, but the hope is that this new-look team can this time challenge on more than one front in both Europe and at home.
Sampaoli was speaking ahead of his side's meeting with Real Madrid, meanwhile, discussing Sevilla's transfer business at that stage as 'progressing nicely'. This Rojiblancos squad is a lot different to the one we saw just a few months back when beating Liverpool to retain the Europa League, but will the ex-Chile boss have the same sort of impact that now-PSG manager Emery seemed to have in getting the best out of each player?
PREDICTION! Barcelona fell to a 4-0 defeat in the first leg of the Supercopa 12 months ago, although surely a repeat will not be on the cards tonight. That said, the La Liga and Copa del Rey double winners have looked slightly weak at the back so far this summer when shipping eight goals against Liverpool, Leicester and Sampdoria. Sevilla will be desperate to take an advantage into the second leg, and I think they will do so with a 1-0 home win.
Both sets of players now making their way into the tunnel area, with kickoff around four minutes or so away. Enrique has named his strongest possible XI this evening with a week to go until the new season begins, while Sampaoli has left a couple of influential players out in the hope of integrating some of these new faces. Brilliant atmosphere inside the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Barcelona forward Luis Suarez helped break records alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar last season, but he has yet to get off the mark in this early-season fixture. A chance for him to change that over the next few days, starting right now at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan...
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KICKOFF! We are up and running in Andalusia. Sevilla back in action five days after losing to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, now looking to win silverware at the second attempt under new boss Sampaoli.
Sevilla pressing right up the pitch at the moment in an attempt to prevent Barcelona from passing their way out of trouble. A superb atmosphere inside the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as ever this evening, with home supporters well up for an upset of sorts.
Barca bossing possession at the moment but, like against Sampdoria last time out, they are not doing too much with it in these early stages. Sevilla going with three at the back, it seems, with two men pushing into midfield.
SAVE! Suarez, still seeking that first Supercopa goal, is played through but cannot get his attempt past Rico who keeps it out well down low. First real chance in this contest and it has taken just seven minutes to arrive.
Sevilla look to get forward down the left, with nine Barcelona players back behind the ball to prevent them getting anywhere. The Catalans push forward moments later and a decent delivery comes into the box, but it has too much on it for Messi to tap home.
A quiet few minutes in the match following that big chance for Suarez, which Rico brilliantly kept out. Mascherano has just produced the first of many top-class tackles this season from his defensive position, helping the visitors to relieve some pressure.
Sevilla fans are furious with the officials, as Rakitic just about keeps the ball in play and swings it into a dangerous position. Turan looked to connect with the ball with an overhead kick, but he missed the attempt and it was headed back to Rico.
The hosts certainly not afraid to get right at their opponents in the opening 15 minutes of this game, but they have created little so far with zero attempts on goal. Barcelona with the only shot so far, in fact, which came via Suarez and was kept out by Rico.
Mascherano at his best, there, as he closes down a Vitolo drive from the edge of the box. Sevilla just a bit guilty of overdoing things on that occasion, with a couple of chances to take on the shot initially being overlooked.
Sevilla have been the side on top for the past five minutes or so now, really pegging Barca back with plenty of players remaining high up the pitch. Pique turns the latest cross behind for a corner, with the ball eventually being worked to the edge of the box where it is blasted wide.
Iniesta has moved into second place on the list of Barca's all-time record appearance makers, incidentally, with only Xavi now ahead of him. Not seen too much from the Spanish midfielder just yet, but there is plenty of time for that to change.
Sevilla attempt to give Barcelona a taste of their own medicine by playing it out from the back, but Messi races in and wins back possession, before running out of ground to do anything with the ball. A let off for the hosts, who cannot afford to give away the ball so easily.
Barcelona have possession around the opposition box with plenty of number up for the second time in the past few minutes, but Messi slips in Busquets a tad too late and the offside flag goes up. The shot still came in, but was sent well over the bar.
The signs looked quite ominous for Sevilla early on when Suarez was played through on goal, yet since then we have not really seen Barca at their free-flowing best. The visitors look as though they have a problem on their hands, too, as Mathieu has just pulled his hamstring.
BARCELONA SUB! Lucas Digne comes on for his competitive Barcelona debut, taking the place of Mathieu who did indeed pull his hamstring a few moments ago. Still no Alba this evening due to a stomach complaint.
Even more concerning for Enrique is the potential loss of Iniesta. A really heavy touch from the Spaniard gave Mariano a chance to come across and win the ball for his side, taking out his opponent in the process. Iniesta looks as though he should be OK to continue.
Sevilla getting in behind their opponents on a regular basis, much like Liverpool did eight days ago at Wembley. Bravo captures one cross and Pique cleared another, so nothing too concerning for Enrique just yet.
YELLOW CARD! Gabriel Mercado is the first man to receive a caution when clattering into Luis Suarez - the clearest of bookings you will see. Mariano the latest player to go down injured after a slight coming together.
It has been very stop-star over the past six or seven minutes. Barcelona's momentum is unlikely to be helped now by Iniesta seemingly being taken off, with Denis Suarez being readied to come on for the injured midfielder.
BARCELONA SUB! Iniesta has been unable to shake off the injury sustained in his collision with Mariano, meaning a return to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for former loanee Denis Suarez. Two subs in the first half - not ideal for Enrique.
Messi with a very smart ball through for Arda Turan, but Rico read the danger well and quickly pounced on the ball before the Barca forward could make contact. Enrique said yesterday that his side are not at their sharpest, which is being made clear in this first half.
Mascherano needed to be alert again inside the box, this time to block away Vitolo's attempted pull-back. Sevilla have had the better of this first half, without doing enough with the final ball to test Claudio Bravo in goal.
Things just getting a little feisty out on the pitch now as we enter the final stages of the first half. Improvement needed from Barcelona in the second half, or else they face the prospect of returning to the Camp Nou a goal or two behind.
Turan works a yard of space on the edge of the box, but can only send his attempt wide of the target. Suarez unhappy with his teammate, perhaps secretly wondering exactly when it is Neymar will be rejoining him in the side.
HALF TIME: SEVILLA 0-0 BARCELONA
We go into the interval locked at 0-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in the first leg of this Spanish Super Cup tie. Sevilla have looked by far the better side in terms of shape and working the ball forward, but the only chance of the opening 45 minutes fell the way of Barcelona fairly early on.
Luis Suarez was slipped through with just six minutes on the clock, only for Sergio Rico to thwart his outside-of-the-boot attempt down low. It looked like being a sign of things to come, but that would prove to be the only real attempt from either side during a flat first half in Andalusia.
Sevilla had been the better side in terms of their shape, despite throwing in three of their summer signings from the off, but too often the final ball let the home team down in front of goal. Arda Turan, still filling in for Neymar in Barca's front three, failed to pick out a teammate on one of the rare occasions that the Catalan giants got in behind their opponents.
Vitolo's blocked shot, closed down well by Javier Mascherano six yards from goal, proved to be the closest Sevilla came to breaching Bravo's goal in the opening 45 minutes. It was Luis Enrique who went into the break with more questions to ask of his side, with his task made more difficult by the loss of Jeremy Mathieu and skipper Andres Iniesta to injury.
Jorge Sampaoli will be the happier of the two managers at the halfway point of this first leg in the Spanish Super Cup final, but the bottom line remains that we are still locked at 0-0. Barcelona will probably take that scoreline at this stage, with Luis Suarez's early chance the only time they have looked like scoring.
RESTART! We are back under way at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. No changes made by either manager at the interval, which is not surprising in Barca's case as they have just one alteration remaining!
Sevilla win a free kick in a good position on the field, which is shockingly unable to make its way past the first man. The hosts do win themselves a corner, from which the ball is worked to Vazquez who blasts a good few yards over the bar.
SAVE! No messing around by Sevilla, as they just blast the ball clear when Barca try threading it through to Suarez. Barca manage to clip the ball into the box where Suarez deftly flicks it towards goal, but Rico was in the right place to block the shot with his face.
A third enforced alteration of the evening appears to be upon us, as Sergio Escudero picked up an injury when attempting to block that Suarez header which has resulted in him picking up a hip injury. Not great for Sampaoli and Enrique to lose players just a week from the start of the La Liga season.
GOAL! SEVILLA 0-1 BARCELONA (LUIS SUAREZ)
A superb team move from the visitors - typical of this Barcelona side in many ways - is rounded off by Suarez to open the scoring in Andalusia. Denis Suarez picked out Turan inside the box, who simply chested the ball down for Luis Suarez to tuck home.
SAVE! Well it is almost as if someone has just decided to turn the on button as far as Barca are concerned. A minute or so after that fine Suarez goal, more intricate link-up play leads to Messi being slipped through, but he could not dink the ball over Rico.
SEVILLA SUB! The hosts made that planned change moments after Suarez edged Barca ahead, with Pablo Sarabia coming on for the injured Sergio Escudero. Sevilla just need to see out this pressure for the next few minutes.
SEVILLA SUB! Another of Sevilla's summer signings has now been introduced, with Vietto making way for Wissam Ben Yedder for these final 30 minutes or so. Sevilla managed to ride the Barca pressure, but can they now mount some attacks of their own?
SAVE! Another Rico stop, this time to keep out a rare Sergi Roberto drive. The full-back did well to get into an advanced position unmarked, but his angled attempt was well pushed away by Rico.
We are now 65 minutes into the match and Sevilla are still yet to test Claudio Bravo. No great shame in that, of course, although there will be frustration on Sampaoli's behalf as his side were on top in the first half.
Hiroshi Kiyotake sends a superb cross into the box, which catches Mascherano a little off guard as he appeared to bring down his opponent. The referee did not point to the spot, though, which replays suggest was the right decision.
SEVILLA SUB! Another new face introduced to this Sevilla crowd - Brazilian important Ganso. It will be interesting to see how he fairs during his first taste of European football, having been backed as a potential rival to Messi on the world stage a few years back.
YELLOW CARD! Steven N'Zonzi clatters into Messi and receives the game's third yellow card as a result. The home supporters were unhappy with the way Messi rolled on the ground, but he quite clearly landed awkwardly on his elbow and was in some pain.
A real important period in this tie at the moment, with Barca still just about on top but Sevilla pressing in search of away through. Sampaoli will surely tell his side to push forward in numbers as we enter the final quarter of the match.
BARCELONA SUB! Enrique has the luxury of making a sub of his own choice, having lost Mathieu and Iniesta to first-half injuries. Munir is the man brought on, someone who has impressed during pre-season, to take the place of Turan.
Barca doing really well to just shut their opponents out since going ahead. The visitors have been good value for their lead in the second half, having created a few chances, but with 13 minutes to go there is still just the one goal in it.
Sevilla finding it impossible to carve their opponents open, with 10 Barca players in and around the box. Franco Vazquez has just picked up a yellow for catching Messi in the face with a stray arm - not enough in it to be a red.
GOAL! SEVILLA 0-2 BARCELONA (MUNIR EL HADDADI)
Another fine Barca move, this time on the break, perhaps puts this tie out of reach for Sevilla. Messi led the charge for his side, taking out two opponents with his through-ball which Munir - a player who has looked so impressive this summer - coolly tucked past Rico.
YELLOW CARD! Luis Suarez the latest to be booked for his late challenge. Maybe a case of damage limitation for Sevilla now, but finding a goal in these next six minutes could be vital. Barcelona now strong favourites to lift the Supercopa for a 15th time.
SAVE! Messi with another shot on target, but he fails to get the better of Rico in what is now a personal running battle. A third for the visitors really would kill the tie at this midway stage.
Whatever Luis Enrique said at the break has clearly worked. From being a poor outfit in the first 45 minutes, Barcelona have looked much more assured in this second period and are good value for their comfortable advantage.
Just two minutes of added time to come at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Sevilla desperate for a late goal to give themselves a lifeline, but Barca still looking the more lively when getting into advanced areas.
FULL TIME: SEVILLA 0-2 BARCELONA
The referee blows for full time at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where Barcelona have claimed a 2-0 first-leg win over Sevilla to remain well on course for a 15th Supercopa success. It was a poor first-half performance from the visitors, but they vastly improved following the restart and claimed a deserved victory to take back to the Camp Nou for Wednesday night.
That concludes Sports Mole's live updates of events from the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana, but be sure to check out this on-the-whistle report before heading off. Text commentary will also be provided for the return fixture on Wednesday, so we will see you then!
