It was a day of intense emotions that Barcelona fans experienced this Wednesday, which in the midst of a lean period received a double award almost at once. The CSD returned the license to Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor and, minutes later, Flick’s Barça entered its first final, that of the Spanish Super Cup, after beating Ahtletic with justice and moments of brilliance.
If anyone dared to imagine that the storm unleashed by the Olmo case could affect Flick’s team, they were completely wrong. At the Jawhara stadium, the ‘shining jewel’ of Yida, the opposite began to happen. With the news still fresh of the CSD’s favorable decision, including Laporta’s cut of sleeves, the Barça footballers took to the pitch to take on the world and tame Athletic. His attitude was irreproachable after a few difficult days for the locker room, which seemed to want to dedicate a triumph to Olmo and Pau Víctor, smiling in the stands.
Gavi opened the scoring against Athletic and Lamine Yamal celebrated his return to the eleven with a great goal
It took Barça less than five minutes to create their first big chance of the night. He had amassed the ball until then, making the red and white team dizzy, and a great cross from Koundé on the right was finished high by Raphinha. The stands, mostly Barça but half empty and silent during many sections of the duel, the football atmosphere in Arabia being somewhat gloomy, did regret it with a loud “Oh!” The Brazilian, the protagonist in the preview with his attack of sincerity, seemed to want to monopolize the spotlight on the green as well, and with a free kick he tried to surprise an attentive Unai Simón without success.
Athletic seemed to miss Nico Williams, whom Valverde chose to reserve from the start. At Barça, Lamine Yamal burst into the eleven and so did Szczesny due to a lack of discipline – a delay – from Iñaki Peña. Flick is inflexible. The Pole was certainly calm in the first half but when he had to intervene he did so with confidence and success, always attentive to Athletic’s long balls, several cleared with his head.
It didn’t take long for Barça’s dominance to translate to the scoreboard. The umpteenth steal of the ball by the Blaugrana ended in a deep pass that Balde converted into a great assist to Gavi, who placed the ball in the net with his left foot. The youth player is recovering his form little by little and he seems more and more loose, also involved in all the parties, which is the best sign of his physical and mental state.
An error by Íñigo Martínez created a good chance for Iñaki Williams who made a mistake in his decision. Nor was Raphinha accurate against Unai Simón when Barça’s second threatened to come out of the oven. That failure seemed to cause a small change of scenery in the semifinal. Athletic began to be more patient with the ball and began to equalize possession. They chewed up the plays more and Barça lacked the ability to recover the ball. As a result of this change in trend, Szczesny began to appear more on Arab nights. First, feline before a Yuri center that carried poison. And, before the break, he got a great ball from Iñaki Williams. A draw at that time would have been a very hard blow for Flick’s men.
Flick’s team overcame the storm over the Olmo case with flying colors and will fight for its first title
The break was great for Barça, who regained their composure somewhat and repeated the great performance at the start of the match. Once again, the green was leaning towards Unai Simón’s goal. And Lewandowski continued to extend his evident slump and was the least lucid of all the Blaugrana. Not so Raphinha, who created a great chance but missed at the last moment with his very candid shot. But, as had happened in the first half, the second Barça goal was a matter of time. Just a few minutes. The action was born in a great recovery in the opposite field by Íñigo Martínez, the ball ended up in Gavi, who connected with Lamine Yamal. The one from Rocafonda, who had little participation until then, decided to leave his mark. He controlled the ball by turning his body and signed the second with his usual calmness.
Flick’s team made a mistake after the goal, once again going down a gear and allowing Athletic to grow. Szczesny gained prominence and prevented a heart-stopping final few minutes. The lions could not cut back, as their joy was thwarted twice by the goals of De Marcos and Iñaki Williams due to offsides. made in Flick, and they were left without an end. That honor, deserved, fell to a Barça that finally allows itself to smile half a smile.
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