Raphinha netted two goals as Barcelona secured a spot in the Spanish Super Cup final with a commanding 5-0 win over Athletic Club in Saudi Arabia.
Although Bilbao started brightly, Barca quickly asserted their dominance and raced to a 4-0 lead by halftime, thanks to goals from Ferran Torres, Fermín López, Roony Bardghji, and Raphinha, all scored within a devastating 16-minute stretch.
Raphinha continued to shine, adding his second goal shortly after the break to finalize a remarkable performance, ensuring Barcelona’s place in the final where they will meet either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
“I believe if the game was easy, it’s because we made it that way,” Raphinha stated post-match. “When we play well, it can simplify things. Athletic has a lot of quality and players who can change the game. Whether it feels easy or tough depends on our performance.”
Bilbao posed an early threat with Aitor Paredes’ header from a corner that deflected off Eric García, and Adama Boiro’s dangerous cross was successfully held by Joan García.
Barça quickly countered, with Raphinha slicing through the defense and forcing Unai Simón out of position on the left, though his cross was cleared.
Pedri saw a low strike easily gathered by Simon as Barça began to take charge, with the Bilbao goalkeeper having to act again to stop a Lopez shot.
Torres broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, tapping in after Lopez’s initial attempt was saved.
Barça doubled their advantage at the half-hour mark with a slick move down the left, where Raphinha set up the unmarked Lopez to fire a powerful shot into the net.
Four minutes later, they struck again when Bardghji cut in from the right, firing a low shot that slipped under Simon’s arm.
“For me, once the game ends, it’s onto the next one, but I truly appreciated what I witnessed today,” said coach Hansi Flick. “Against Espanyol, we weren’t at our best, but today we displayed a completely different mentality and team spirit, both offensively and defensively. It was great to see.”
In the 38th minute, Raphinha claimed his fourth goal by weaving through the box and slamming the ball into the near corner.
Bilbao faced more frustration as Oihan Sancet struck the post just before halftime, and Raphinha soon extended Barça’s lead once more, this time capitalizing on a loose ball in the box to unleash a fierce finish past Simon.
With Barça controlling the pace of the match and Bilbao struggling to apply pressure, substitute Lamine Yamal’s pass for Lopez was easily collected by Simon. Bilbao briefly broke through with Unai Gómez charging down the defense, but his effort went wide.
Garcia fended off a long-range attempt from Mikel Jauregizar as Bilbao searched for a consolation goal, but Barcelona comfortably saw out the final moments to earn their spot in the championship match.