FC Barcelona said goodbye to an unforgettable season, in which they won the domestic treble (League, Cup and Super Cup) with a comfortable victory in Bilbao against Athletic (0-3). Robert Lewandowski was the MVP of the day for the 'culés', with a double.
The Pole broke an eight-match scoreless streak with a pair of goals in the first 17 minutes of the match. Physical problems prevented him from playing against Mallorca and Valladolid, also being a substitute in the Clásico against Real Madrid.
Even so, 'Lewi' put pressure on Kylian Mbappé in the fight for the Pichichi, finishing the season with 27 goals (42 in all competitions. In addition, the '9' reached his hundredth goal with the club, something that only 21 players had achieved with the 'azulgrana' shirt.
Iñaki Peña, starter in his farewell with Barça
Hansi Flick took advantage of the last day to return Iñaki Peña to the starting lineup. The player from Alicante has already expressed to the club his desire to leave and was able to say goodbye as a starter in his 23rd game of the season and 45th in all competitions with the first 'azulgrana' team.
Ernesto Valverde, for his part, did the same with the great honoree of the day: Óscar de Marcos. The defender announced his retirement after 16 seasons with Athletic and, in a nice gesture, the entire Basque squad, along with the Barça XI, received him with a corridor preceded by the one corresponding to the brand new champions of the tournament.
Lewandowski led the 'azulgrana' victory at the start
The locals controlled the match in the initial minutes, generating a couple of clear chances. Unai Gómez scored in the 4th minute, in an action preceded by a clear offside. Nico Williams, in the 8th minute, shot high another good arrival from the left.
However, the lack of effectiveness of the 'lions' contrasted with the lethality of Barça. In the 14th minute, Fermín López filtered a precise pass to leave Lewandowski hand in hand against Unai Simón. The Pole defined by pinching the leather with mastery to open the scoring.
Only three minutes later, the '9' would shake the nets again, this time with a header, taking advantage of a half clearance from Unai Gómez to finish at pleasure in the small area. Thus, in just over a quarter of an hour, Flick's team was on track for their twenty-eighth victory of the tournament, also surpassing 100 goals for the first time since 16/17.
Dani Olmo closed the rout with a penalty in added time
Athletic reacted with a couple of clear arrivals wasted by Sannadi, while Barça controlled the pace of the match through possession and the good work of Pedri González in midfield.
After the break, Lewandowski touched the 'hat-trick', but shot high a good pass from Raphinha a few seconds after the start of the second half. Lamine Yamal was also close to extending the lead in the 48th minute with a whiplash that grazed the base of the post and, in the 59th minute, 'Lewi' was again hand in hand against Unai Simón, but Yuri avoided a sung goal with a miraculous sweep.
The duel turned into a give and take in the last half hour, with many spaces due to the context of the match. The 'culés' had already secured the title a couple of dates ago, while Athletic did the same with their ticket to Champions as fourth in the general classification.
Valverde and Flick refreshed their lineups with the entries of Sancet, Vivian and Prados in the 'lions', while for the 'culés' entered Christensen and Dani Olmo for Araujo and Raphinha. The Dane almost scored an own goal in the 72nd minute, with a header to the crossbar.
In the last minutes Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Martín and Pau Víctor also entered for Pedri, Balde and Lewandowski, respectively. In the Basques, Iñaki Williams replaced Nico ten minutes from the end, in what could also be the farewell of the '10'.
Iñigo Lekue, for his part, did the same one minute from the end so that Óscar de Marcos received the ovation from San Mamés. In added time, the main referee González Fuertes pointed out, thanks to the VAR, a clear penalty by Vivian on Dani Olmo. The player from Terrassa took charge of the shot, rounding off the rout with an unstoppable right foot.
In the end, Barça closed a fantastic season with 88 points, 4 more than Real Madrid. In addition, the 'culés' scored 102 goals, with a difference of +62 despite conceding 39 goals.
| Team | PJ | PTS | PG | PE | PP | GF | GC | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆Barcelona (C) | 38 | 88 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 102 | 39 | 63 |
| R.Madrid | 38 | 84 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 78 | 38 | 40 |
| Atlético | 38 | 76 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 68 | 30 | 38 |
Match details: Athletic Club 0-3 FC Barcelona
- Athletic Club, 0: Unai Simón; De Marcos, Núñez (Vivian, min. 62), Paredes, Yuri; De Galarreta (Prados, min. 62), Jauregizar; Berenguer, Unai Gómez (Sancet, min. 62), Nico Williams (Iñaki Williams, min. 80) and Sannadi.
- FC Barcelona, 3: Iñaki Peña; Eric Garcia, Araujo (Christensen, min. 64), Cubarsí, Balde (Gerard Martín, min. 81); Gavi, Pedri (De Jong, min. 81); Fermín, Lamine Yamal, Raphina (Olmo, min. 64); Lewandowski (Pau Víctor, min. 89).
- Goals: 0-1, Robert Lewandowski (min. 14); 0-2, Robert Lewandowski (min. 17); 0-3, Dani Olmo (min. 90+4).
- Referee: Pablo González Fuertes. He cautioned Yuri Berchiche for Athletic. He sanctioned a penalty on Dani Olmo in added time, after a call from the VAR.
- Stadium: San Mamés in Bilbao.
- Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 38 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25.