Barcelona Reaches Spanish Super Cup Final with 2-0 Victory Over Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona secured a place in the final of the 2025 Spanish Super Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 win against reigning Copa del Rey champions Athletic Bilbao in Wednesday's semi-final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. While not their best performance, Barça played solidly throughout and managed to survive a couple of late offside scares to keep a clean sheet. They will face the winner of the upcoming semi-final between Real Madrid and Mallorca.

First Half
Barcelona made a strong start, pressing high and forcing Athletic into early mistakes. Raphinha nearly scored twice within the first ten minutes, showcasing Barça's fast-paced play. Their efforts paid off in the 17th minute, when a brilliant passing sequence down the left wing ended with Alejandro Balde assisting Gavi, who finished beautifully to give Barça the lead.

Shortly after, Lamine Yamal won the ball and set Raphinha up for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Unai Simón, but the Bilbao keeper made a crucial save. Despite some initial momentum, Barcelona failed to capitalize further, and Athletic began to find their rhythm, threatening the Barça defense with wing play and dangerous crosses. Iñaki Williams had a key chance just before halftime, but Wojciech Szczesny and the center-backs ensured the score remained 1-0 at the break.

Second Half
The second half began positively for Barça, as Gavi played a beautiful pass to Lamine Yamal, who calmly finished to double the lead just eight minutes in. With nothing to lose, Athletic made aggressive substitutions, deploying long balls and crosses in an attempt to get back into the match. However, Szczesny remained largely untroubled, making only a couple of routine saves.

In a dramatic turn of events, Athletic found the net twice in quick succession during the closing moments: first, Óscar de Marcos scored after being set up by Nico Williams, and then Iñaki Williams had a clear chance following a mistake by Frenkie de Jong. Both goals were disallowed for offside, denying Athletic a chance to stage a comeback.

The final whistle confirmed Barça's advancement to the title match, where they will face either Mallorca or Real Madrid. The first trophy of the season is on the line, promising an exciting showdown.