Super Athletic

A pulsating Super Cup elevated a super champion: Athletic.

As subversive against Madrid as against Barça, the Bilbao team improvised glory in a big way.

For no one, the Super Cup is a jug title.

Of course it is not for Athletic, winner for the third time.

And neither was it for Barça.

It will not be high on the scale of values ​​of soccer superpowers, but it can take more than it gives.

Let them tell the good of Ernesto Valverde, fired after a similar tournament.

Great teams have no excuses even before cookie tournaments.

Barça knows it, especially this Barça from between the wars.

Without a presidency, with Messi and his disturbing future, with filth in the treasury ... An eager Athletic rose above him, clinging to the game until the last breath, when Villalibre sent the match into extra time in the 90th minute. put the tie to the title with a great goal.

Up to two times Marcelino's team had to come back, who did not give up even to shots despite the fact that Griezmann advanced twice to the Barcelona players.

Two so many that were not children of the game, the one that the Barça team did not have, disheveled from start to finish by Athletic coral.

So unhinged was Barça that Messi, a symbol of frustration, ended up expelled by a blow to Villalibre.

BCN

2

-

3

ATH

Barcelona Ter Stegen, Clement Lenglet (Trincão, min. 105), Ronald Araújo, Alba, Sergiño Dest (Óscar Mingueza, min. 45), Pedri (Pjanić, min. 87), Busquets (Ricard Puig, min. 96), Frenkie De Jong, Messi, Ousmane Dembélé (Braithwaite, min. 87) and GriezmannAthleticUnai Simón, Íñigo Martínez (Unai Núñez, min. 94), Balenziaga (Lekue, min. 82), Yeray, Capa (Berenguer, min. 80), Unai Vencedor (Vesga, min. 80), De Marcos, Muniain, Dani García, Williams (Jon Morcillo, min. 105) and Raúl García (Villalibre, min. 82)

Goals1-0 min.

39: Griezmann.

1-1 min.

41: From Marcos.

2-1 min.

76: Griezmann.

2-2 min.

89: Villalibre.

2-3 min.

92: Williams, Yellow cards Clement Lenglet (min. 10), Dani García (min. 66), Villalibre (min. 108), Jon Morcillo (min. 109) and Alba (min. 113) Red cards Messi (min. 120)

I deny you.

This was the staging of Athletic.

Raw.

Very crude for Barça, neutralized in Ter Stegen's brawl.

Marcelino's group did not finish off, but he was anchored in the Barça field.

Not a map of Unai Simón until after half an hour.

The rojiblancos are active in the pressure.

Liabilities, looks, the azulgranas.

Nobody wanted a scratch.

The chatter between Ter Stegen and his defenders was of no use to Barça.

From the defense forward, each Barcelona player was forced to play from behind.

Quite a nuisance.

Barça denied, no sign of De Jong, Pedri and Messi, there was no one to assault the lines.

The bravery of Athletic had them at bay.

Koeman's stiff on the merits of Marcelino's, the game was where Athletic wanted.

A matter of distances: the Barcelona fans, forced to circulate many blocks from Messi and Unai Simón and Athletic as close to Raúl García and Williams as they are to Ter Stegen.

Unplugged Messi, Pedri was lost, out of the picture, enchanted by Marcelino's boys.

His new partner prisoner, Messi turned to his eternal twin: Jordi Alba.

Without goals until the end of the first act, Capa tested Ter Stegen, in flight to deflect his shot.

Messi responded with a spicy left foot that left Unai Simón shivering.

Athletic roared.

Barça was shrinking.

But football, so unexpected so many times, also has its routines.

It seems like a century ago the favorite dance between Messi and Jordi Alba.

The same does not matter if the technicians rewind and rewind the video to their boys.

In the only crack in the first half for the Catalans, Messi met for the umpteenth time with Alba.

The thing of a lifetime.

Alba, like another million times, wanted to plug the Rosario back in.

The lions interfered with the Argentine's shot, but Griezmann went to the rebound and left Athletic frozen.

As stunned as Barça was just a couple of minutes later.

Williams, a forward with the body of a Jamaican, tried a luck that he does not completely dominate: a filtered pass.

With Jordi Alba in the clouds, De Marcos anticipated and sealed the 1-1.

Forty minutes of temperance and two of vertigo.

Returning from the break, Koeman dispensed with the irrelevant Dest, a kindergarten footballer in defense and without offensive substance.

Before measuring the effect of the measure, Muniain envied Raúl García.

The free kick launched by the Basque captain was headed by Raúl a lo Raúl: categorical as few when he catches them on the fly.

One centimeter.

A millimeter, perhaps, invalidated the play.

A relief for Barça, always annoying because of Athletic's tightness.

A well-trained team, loaded in each round, musketeer in each aid.

As a consequence, a Barça pacato, parsimonious, uncomfortable.

A blocked match, ideal for Athletic, always ready to exploit its veins by neutralizing the opponent.

After more than an hour of an ordinary swing with the ball.

A rival loyal to an individuality.

Barça has them, not so much Athletic, where the group weighs much more.

That's how it went.

With the duel anesthetized, Alba broke in again.

Another episodic play, nothing to do with the future of the crash.

Dembélé connected with the winger and Alba turned Griezmann into Messi.

His lateral center was entered by the Frenchman, as terminal as if it were Leo.

Finally Griezmann on the cover.

A cruel scourge for Athletic, but they did not resign themselves to falling on the shore after a night of wild boars, from a squad of rojiblancos like green berets.

His faith led him to draw Villalibre in the last second after Koeman was skidded by changes.

In nothing Pjanic and Braithwaite improved Pedri and Dembélé's dark night.

By the way, the Dutch coach took De Jong away from the rival area, since in the last month he had become the best player on the team.

Technical stuff.

Just started extra time, Williams pulled a great goal out of his sleeve.

The rojiblanco was planted in a corner of the area.

He fixed the ball, tempered, looked and slapped.

The ball made a parabola and burst into Ter Stegen's left squad.

A goal with capital letters.

A super goal to close an aúpa Super Cup.

And to top it off, Athletic.

A super champion.