Barcelona 3-0 Athletic Bilbao (5-1 agg.): Messi Show Sees Barcelona Lift Spanish Super Cup
Monday, August 24, 2009 @ 12:29 PM
Barcelona thrashed Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou 3-0 to record a 5-1 aggregate victory in the Supercopa - the Culers' fourth major trophy of 2009.
Holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, the home fans had to wait until the second half to see the goals, two coming from Lionel Messi and a third from Bojan Krkic.
Athletic had to score at least twice after a first leg in which they took the lead only to be defeated. As such they began with intensity.
But as any observer of the Spanish game knows, attacking at Camp Nou can result in counter-attacks, and with the Blaugrana also having more sense on the ball in midfield it was a dangerous game in the early stages.
Still, the first true chance didn't come until the 22nd minute, a Pablo Orbaiz free-kick after a Carles Puyol foul on Joseba Exteberria forcing a rather smooth save from Victor Valdes.
Right down at the other end Thierry Henry headed wide after good work from the indefatigable Xavi, and Barca began to threaten in earnest.
Xavi and Lionel Messi both forced saves from Gorka Iraizoz as the half-hour mark approached, and although it took Zlatan Ibrahimovic 40 minutes ago to register his first real chance - a great scissor kick from a Messi cross - the Blaugrana went in the happier side at the break.
They were to become even more pleased four minutes after the restart, a solo effort from Lionel Messi that will populate highlight reels for years to come. Skinning Ustariz, he cut into the box and clipped the ball from a tight angle past Iraizoz.
It was all Barca after that, and twenty-five minutes from time an Athletic side rejuvenated by substitutions appeared to lose hope as they conceded a penalty. Ustariz and Dani Alves clashed in the Athletic area, the Brazilian went down, and referee Velasco Carballo pointed to the spot.
This decision was met with no small measure of protest from the visitors - Ustariz picking up a booking for his part in the remonstrance - and at first and indeed second glance there did not appear to be anything wrong with the challenge.
Nonetheless, Messi did the honours and scored convincingly from the spot to put the tie all but beyond doubt.
Ustariz's evening went from worse to even worse as he then sold the third goal with a careless back-pass that Bojan Krkic - on the pitch for just two minutes - seized on to score a simple one-on-one.
Athletic closed the game in a sour mood, wayward tackles and poor clearances abounding, as Barcelona steeled themselves for something that they must almost be getting tired of: a trophy presentation.
That makes it 12 Supercopas for the Camp Nou side, and adds to a cabinet already including the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, and of course the Liga trophies for 2009.
Source: goal.com