Vilanova proud of his team

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has hailed the character of his side, despite their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa.



A poor start for Barca saw them fall two goals behind early on at Santiago Bernabeu, before Adriano was shown a straight red card to leave them on the brink of defeat after only half an hour played in the second leg on Wednesday.



Lionel Messi reduced the arrears with a free kick on the stroke of half-time, and Barca recovered to push Real during the second half, ultimately drawing 4-4 on aggregate and losing on the away goals rule.



"The first half was not like us, but the second half was one of my proudest nights with the team," Vilanova said.



"With 10 men we controlled the game and had five clear chances. We never sit back, defend with 10 and try to hit on the counter. With our players, we always play the same way and did so in the second half."



Vilanova also offered his compliments to Real for their victory, saying: "I would like to congratulate Madrid on winning the (Supercopa) title."



In the 221st meeting between the two sides, Real's triumph sees them move ahead of Barcelona 88-87 in the all-time ledger for Clasico victories.