Barcelona Crushes Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup
In a match where dominance was absolute, FC Barcelona, with an outstanding performance by Pedri, defeated Athletic Club with a resounding 5-0 victory in the Spanish Super Cup, held in Saudi Arabia. The match, played at the Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, witnessed Barcelona’s biggest win in the six editions of the competition held in Saudi lands. Despite the initial absence of Lamine Yamal, who was not 100%, and the initial energy of Athletic, Barcelona demonstrated their superiority from the start. The Basque team, without Nico Williams due to discomfort, tried to impose their game with several corner kicks and a clear opportunity for Oihan Sancet, but Joan García, Barcelona’s goalkeeper, was attentive. The match changed radically from minute 22 to 38, when Barcelona sealed the semi-final with four goals in six minutes. Ferran Torres, who started in place of Robert Lewandowski, opened the scoring with his 14th goal of the season. Fermín, after a Pedri-Raphinha connection, extended the lead. Roony Bardghji and Raphinha completed the rout in the first half, leaving Athletic without options. In the 52nd minute, Raphinha scored the fifth goal, culminating a play inside the area that secured Barcelona’s victory. Athletic’s coach, Ernesto Valverde, made changes to try to react, while Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s coach, rested key players. Lamine Yamal entered the field in the last 20 minutes. Unai Gómez had a chance for Athletic in the 78th minute, but his shot went wide.Match Technical Sheet
Barcelona: Joan García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde (Gerard Martín, m.64); De Jong (Marc Bernal, m.64), Pedri (Dani Olmo, m.72), Fermín; Roony Bardghji (Lamine Yamal, m.72), Ferrán and Raphinha (Rashford, m.64).
Athletic: Unai Simón; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Adama Boiro Lekue, m.57); Jauregizar, Rego (Selton Sánchez, m.61); Berenguer, Ohian Sancet (Galarreta, m.55), Robert Navarro (Unai Gómez, m.55); and Iñaki Williams (Guruzeta, m.55).Goals: 1-0, m.22: Ferran Torres; 2-0, m.30: Fermín; 3-0: m.34: Roony Bardghji; 4-0, m.38: Raphinha; 5-0, m.52: Raphinha.Referee: Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos.Incidents: Match corresponding to the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup played in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), at the Alinma Stadium before 50,141 spectators.
