Barcelona 5-0 Athletic: historic 'handful' for Barça and on to the Super Cup final!

FC Barcelona delivered another statement of intent with a historic thrashing in Jeddah against Athletic Club (5-0). For the second consecutive year, Hansi Flick's men eliminated the Basques to advance to the final of the Spanish Super Cup.

However, the 2026 semifinal's footballing 'bath' for Ernesto Valverde's team was much worse than the league encounter the two teams played last November at the Spotify Camp Nou (4-0). On Wednesday, Barça matched this result in just 38 minutes, with a relentless attack despite Lamine Yamal being on the benchFlick reserved the '10' as a precaution after his absence from Tuesday's training. Roony Bardghji took his place, making the most of the opportunity with a goal and an assist

Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Fermín López capped off a magical first half for the Catalans, making the second half something of an afterthought. In fact, the 4-0 halftime score was the biggest rout in the history of the Spanish Super Cup.

Athletic's resistance only lasted 22 minutes in Jeddah

Athletic tried to surprise Barça in the opening minutes, with effective high pressing that allowed the Basques to enjoy three consecutive corners at the start of the match. This, however, was a mirage, as Barça took control of midfield after the initial quarter of an hour.

In the 22nd minute, a cross from Roony to Fermín ended in an 'accidental' assist from the Huelva native for Ferran. The '16' shot wide, but the ball fell to 'El Tiburón'. The '7' also didn't strike it in the best way, but the shot gave the ball an effect that confused Unai Simón to open the scoring.

From then on, there was only one team on the field. The Bilbao full-backs were clearly outmatched by Raphinha and Bardghji, while the Vivian-Paredes pairing also struggled. Unai Simón was also not having his best night, with a weak response to a shot from the Swedish winger from the right that made it 3-0 in the 34th minute.

Four minutes earlier, Fermín had extended the lead, taking advantage of a remarkable pass from Pedri to Rapha and a surgical assist from the Brazilian on the left with a low cross. The '11' sealed the match in the 38th minute with an impressive blast, from a tight angle, from his flank after a pass from Roony

Raphinha scored the fifth to seal the rout in the second half

Raphinha celebrating one of his goals against Athletic

Despite Athletic's disaster in the first half, Valverde made no changes at halftime. And **Raphinha, in the 52nd minute, once again punished the Basque defense**, this time with a powerful cross shot, again assisted by Bardghji.

With a 5-0 score, 'Txingurri' made his five substitutions in the following five minutes, reinforcing a completely overwhelmed defense with the arrivals of Iván Lekue and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta. **Barça eased off the accelerator**, managing possession intelligently in the last half hour of the match, where Athletic barely entered the opponent's half on a handful of occasions.

Flick also tweaked his XI in the 65th minute with the introductions of **Gerard Martín, Marc Bernal, and Marcus Rashford** for Alejandro Balde, Frenkie de Jong, and Raphinha, respectively. Later, **Lamine and Dani Olmo** came on for Roony and Pedri. Unai Gómez missed an incredible one-on-one in the 77th minute, with the game already at a much slower pace

Strikingly, on the Barça side, were the substitutions of Robert Lewandowski and Marc Casadó, who were expected to play at least 20 minutes in a match that was decided before halftime. Beyond this, Barça remains in 'roller' mode and has now achieved nine consecutive victories in all competitions.

On Sunday, the Catalans will defend their Super Cup crown, in search of their sixteenth title in the tournament. Facing them will be the winner of the tie between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, who will play the other semifinal on Thursday (8:00 PM).

Match Report: FC Barcelona 5-0 Athletic Club

• FC Barcelona. 5: Joan Garcia; Koundé, Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Balde (Gerard Martín, min. 65); De Jong (Bernal, min. 65), Pedri (Olmo, min. 72); Roony, (Lamine, min. 72), Fermín, Raphinha (Rashford, min. 65); Ferran Torres.
• Athletic Club, 0: Unai Simón; Areso, Dani Vivian, Paredes, Adama Boiro (Lekue, min. 57); Rego (Selton, min. 61), Jauregizar; Oihan Sancet (Ruiz de Galarreta, min. 55), Álex Berenguer, Navarro (Unai Gómez, min. 55); Iñaki Williams (Gorka Guruzeta, min. 55).
• Goals: 1-0, Ferran Torres (min. 22); 2-0, Fermín López (min. 30); 3-0, Roony Bardghji (min. 34); 4-0, Raphinha (min. 38); 5-0, Raphinha (min. 52)
• Referee: Isidro Díaz de Mera.
• Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
• Incidents: match corresponding to the semifinal of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup.