Defeat triumph (5-0) against an Athletic Club that was never a rival for Hansi Flick’s Barça, who enter Sunday’s final as the favorite to lift the Spanish Super Cup title again. Below, some hot notes from the semi-final.
Raphinha was not a flower of a day. One of the doubts that left Barça’s wonderful season in Hansi Flick’s first year on the bench is whether Raphinha would manage to maintain the very high level that he showed in the 2024-25 campaign. Despite scoring 34 goals and providing 26 assists in 57 games for Blaugrana, he did not receive the international recognition he deserved: fifth in the Ballon d’Or, and outside both FIFA’s ideal eleven and the team of the year selected by FIFPro, the world organization that represents professional footballers. This course, once the injuries have been overcome, is fundamental for the team. He already has 9 goals and 4 assists in 16 games.
Golejada sense Lamine Yamal. Hansi Flick is clear, if a footballer is not at 100% he will not be a starter by decree. Not even Lamine Yamal, although we’ll have to see what would have happened if, instead of a semi-final, the final had been contested. In any case, the winger, who had not participated in the last training sessions before the game, did not leave the game. Number 10 came in to play in the final minutes, when everything was already decided. His replacement was Roony Bardghji, who continues to make the most of the few opportunities he has.
May the flu not cover De la Fuente’s eyes. One of the debates that had dominated the preview was the face-to-face in goal between Joan Garcia and Unai Simón. The Blaugrana arrived at the meeting after a brilliant performance against Espanyol, in which he was decisive for the Blaugrana triumph. On the other hand, the one from Athletic had left some doubts after his last performance against Osasuna, in which conceding a free-kick overshadowed the good saves he made against the Navarrese. In the head-to-head, Unai was the clear loser: he hit a hand and failed miserably in the third. The Spanish selector De la Fuente, absent due to a flu, did not see it live.
Saudi Arabia, what a shame. It is a shame that it has become normal for sports competitions like the Super Cup, among many others, to be played in countries like Saudi Arabia. It is an absolutist monarchy in which political parties and dissent are prohibited; women’s rights remain very limited; death sentences are carried out, and the rights of workers, especially migrant workers in the construction sector, are trampled to the point where there have been disappearances and fatalities. Their rain of millions serves them to conduct competitions under a false image of openness. If the Super Cup is played there, it is because Luis Rubiales – through the intermediation of Gerad Piqué – signed a millionaire agreement until 2029.
