Xavi hails Neymar's confidence-boosting goal

• Goal.com, Thursday, August 22, 2013 4:36 PM

Barcelona midfielder Xavi believes that Neymar's goal in Barcelona's 1-1 Supercopa tie against Atletico Madrid will give the Brazil international a big confidence boost.

With Lionel Messi's leaving the game injured at halftime, Neymar came off the bench and immediately made an impact for his new team, scoring an equalizer in the 66th minute.

"Neymar's goal was pretty important. It will give him confidence," said Xavi, who added that Atletico caused Barca plenty of trouble. "Atletico are a strong rival and they defend really well. We tried to do a good job both in the first and second half, but it was not easy. Toward the end we found more space. We tried to be patient and we managed to score a goal that will help us in the return leg."

The second leg takes place at Camp Nou on Aug. 28.

Read the whole story at Goal.com »