Riyadh, Jan 12: Barcelona defeated Osasuna 2-0 to set up a rematch of last year’s Super Cup final against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia.
Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored a goal each for the Catalan club, which last year won the title for its first trophy with coach Xavi Hernández and without Lionel Messi.
Madrid reached Sunday’s final by defeating rival Atletico Madrid 5-3 in extra time on Wednesday.
Barcelona qualified for the Super Cup as the Spanish league champion a year ago. Osasuna qualified by making it to the Copa del Rey final last season, when it lost to Madrid.
Barcelona beat Madrid 3-1 to lift the trophy last season, and another triumph this year would come in handy for the Catalan club as it arrived under pressure after a series of lackluster performances. It sits seven points behind Spanish league leaders Madrid and Girona at the competition’s halfway point.
Barcelona dominated early but there were few chances for any team in the first half. It stayed in control after halftime and opened the scoring in the 59th with a low shot by Lewandowski after a pass by Ilkay Gündogan. Yamal sealed the victory from inside the area in stoppage time after a nice run by João Félix.
Osasuna, which hasn’t finished lower than 11th in the Spanish league since returning to the first division in 2019, tried to press forward toward the end but still couldn’t create many significant chances.
Barcelona forward Raphinha had to be replaced near the end of the first half because of an apparent muscle injury.
There was a vivid atmosphere at the Riyadh stadium, with about 600 Osasuna fans in attendance after making the trip from Spain. There was no significant contingent of fans travelling to support Barcelona, nor Madrid or Atletico for Wednesday’s semifinal.
The Super Cup’s revamped “Final Four” format debuted in Saudi Arabia in 2020 in the first of a lucrative multi-year deal for the clubs and the Spanish soccer federation.
The Super Cup marks the first Spanish competition in which the audios between officials during video reviews are made available after matches. The procedure will continue during Spanish league matches.
The Spanish Super Cup, known as the “Supercopa de España” in Spanish, is an annual football competition in Spain. It is organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and typically takes place before the start of the regular football season. (AP)
