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 in the final ten minutes.
The Catalan club were boosted by the announcement before kick-off that players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have both been granted temporary playing permission by the Spanish sports council, 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 it a “good decision” and his side got off to the best start in Jeddah, with Gavi opening the scoring just after a quarter of an hour.
Athletic progressed in the match, but Flick’s side doubled their lead shortly after the break when Yamal got on the scoresheet to put Barcelona in a dominant position.
Bilbao then appeared to have reduced the score through Oscar de Marcos in the 82nd minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Four minutes later, Inaki Williams latched onto a back pass from Frenkie de Jong to find the back of the net but, once again, the effort was ruled out by VAR.
Barcelona will know their opponents for Sunday’s showdown, which also takes place on Thursday at the King Abdullah Sport City, when Real Madrid face Mallorca.
