Barcelona through to Spanish Super Cup final after seeing off Athletic Club

Barcelona reached the final of the Spanish Super Cup after beating Athletic Club 2-0 at the King Abdullah Sport City in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Goals from Gavi and Lamine Yamal secured Barca’s passage into Sunday’s final, while Athletic had two goals disallowed for offside during the final ten minutes.

The Catalan club were buoyed by news prior to kick-off that players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have both been granted temporary playing registrations by Spain’s Council for Sports, the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD).

🔥 FULL TIME! 🔥
SEE YOU IN THE FINAL! pic.twitter.com/wbeJKGWgSv

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2025

Manager Hansi Flick called the ruling “the right decision” and his side started brightest in Jeddah, with Gavi opening the scoring just after a quarter of an hour.

Athletic grew into the game but Flick’s side doubled their lead shortly after the break when Yamal got on the scoresheet to put Barcelona in a commanding position.

Bilbao then look to have pulled one back through Oscar de Marcos on 82-minutes but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Four minutes later, Inaki Williams latched onto Frenkie de Jong’s wayward back pass to find the back of the net but, again, the effort was ruled out by VAR.

Barcelona will find out their opponents for Sunday’s showdown, which also takes place at the King Abdullah Sport City, on Thursday when Real Madrid play Mallorca.