Jeddah, 08 January (H.S.): FC Barcelona stormed into the Spanish Supercopa final on Thursday with a commanding 5-0 semifinal demolition of Athletic Club late Wednesday night, effectively sealing the contest by halftime with a 4-0 lead.This marks Barcelona's fourth consecutive Supercopa final appearance and 28th overall, further cementing their dominance—they hold a record 15 titles.
Athletic Club captain Iñaki Williams had criticized hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia pre-match, though his side showed early aggression in the first 10 minutes before crumbling against Barcelona's relentless, rhythmic attacks.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 18th minute through Ferran Torres, following Unai Simón's earlier save on Fermín López. Athletic claimed a foul on Alex Berenguer preceded the opener, but they offered no riposte to the ensuing onslaught.
Fermín López doubled the lead in the 30th minute, converting Raphinha's superb cross. Two minutes later, Fermín teed up Roony Bardghji for the third. Raphinha then repaid the favor in the 38th minute, rifling home his first with a powerful strike. Seven minutes into the second half, the Raphinha-Fermín axis struck again for Barcelona's fifth.
Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde exhausted all five substitutions within an hour, while Hansi Flick introduced Marcus Rashford, Marc Bernal, Gerard Martín, and Lamine Yamal. Momentum waned thereafter, despite Unai Gómez's chance for Athletic, as Barcelona eyed Sunday's final against either Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid in Thursday's second semifinal.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
