Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has hailed teammate Pedro as a "magician" after the Spaniard came off the bench to net the winner in his side's 5-4 victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup.
The Argentine said that he hopes Pedro - who has been linked with a move away from Barca due to a lack of first-team opportunities - will remain at the club after watching him score the decisive goal in the 115th minute.
"Hopefully he can stay here," Mascherano told reporters. "He's one of those players who's great on big occasions. He's been a magician since he joined us. He plays for special moments like this."
The former Liverpool midfielder went on to admit that he was "frustrated" by his team's performance against Sevilla, who fought back from 4-1 down to force extra time.
"Neutral fans won't have seen such a spectacle before," he added. "But from our side, we feel some frustration. We had things in our hands but let go of it. We must improve things because we made mistakes that complicated life.
"We fell away and let them into the game. We didn't control the game when we had to, but we had individual talent that let us win another title."
In a post-match interview, Pedro downplayed reports that he wants to leave Barca.
