Athletic Club 0 – 2 FC Barcelona
Barcelona has reached the Spanish Super Cup final for the third consecutive time by defeating Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona played an impressive first hour of football, taking control of the match with goals from Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Athletic Bilbao applied pressure late in the game and managed to score twice, but both goals were disallowed for offside. With this victory, Barcelona has secured its place in the final yet again.
On Wednesday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Hansi Flick’s side triumphed 2-0 in the first semifinal, scoring a goal in each half.
Barcelona, the record 14-time champion of the tournament, will face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Real Madrid and Mallorca in Sunday’s title decider.
Last season, Barcelona lost 4-1 in the final to Real Madrid, where Vinícius Júnior’s hat-trick sealed the victory.
At the King Abdullah Sports City, Barcelona dominated early, with their first opportunity coming in the 5th minute. Jules Koundé’s pass found Raphinha in the box, but his shot went over the bar. Three minutes later, Raphinha’s free-kick was saved by Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Barcelona took the lead in the 17th minute when Pedri’s pass found Alejandro Balde in the box. Balde’s cutback set up Gavi, who fired the ball into the net from just outside the six-yard box. This was the 20-year-old Spanish midfielder’s first goal of the season, marking a strong comeback after being sidelined for 11 months with a knee injury.
In the 24th minute, Simón made a double save to deny both Raphinha and Yamal from increasing Barcelona’s lead.
Bilbao, unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions, had a golden chance to equalize in the 36th minute, but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny rushed out to block Gorka’s attempt. Just before halftime, Bilbao captain Iñaki Williams missed another opportunity, sending his shot over the bar.
Barcelona doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Gavi’s pass was expertly controlled by Yamal, who entered the box and beat the goalkeeper. The 17-year-old Spanish winger, returning after three weeks out with an ankle injury, now has seven goals and 12 assists for the season.
Shortly after, Robert Lewandowski missed a great chance to extend the lead, failing to hit the target from a promising position in the box.
Between the 63rd and 73rd minutes, Barcelona coach Xavi substituted Yamal, Gavi, and Lewandowski for Fermín López, Ferran Torres, and Frenkie de Jong, which slightly slowed the team’s momentum.
In the 82nd minute, De Marcos found the net for Bilbao, but it was ruled offside. Four minutes later, Iñaki Williams also scored, but VAR confirmed it was offside.
In the dying moments of the game, Torres nearly added a third goal for Barcelona, but a Bilbao defender cleared his shot off the line.
After a rough patch late last year, Barcelona has started the new year with back-to-back victories.
