FC Barcelona got a big win in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, as they beat their opponents, Athletic Club, with a 5-0 scoreline. For now, the Catalans would be waiting to find who they will be facing in the final on Sunday, as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid would play the other semi-final tonight.
Meanwhile, the Basque club became the first one to get eliminated from the competition, and they did so in quite a humiliating fashion. In fact, as SPORT has reported, the Athletic Club coach, Ernesto Valverde, conceded how bad the game was as he addressed the press after the game:
“Except for very little, we didn’t start badly, but after the first goal we conceded, we fell apart too much. Going into halftime 4-0 made the second half a torment.”
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 07: Raphinha of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal with teammates during the Spanish Super Cup Semi-Final match between Barcelona and Athletic Club at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium on January 07, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images
Despite the heavy defeat against Barcelona, the Spanish coach was keen to clarify that this game should not define Athletic’s entire season:
“You shouldn’t extrapolate today’s game to the entire season. There was a big difference because we weren’t sharp. We usually manage to break games open, but we didn’t succeed. In the second half, we tried to keep the damage down. We weren’t well-positioned or in the right mindset to put up more of a fight.”
Valverde also highlighted the importance of resilience and focusing on the competitions still ahead, including La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League:
“It’s a tough defeat, but we have to keep going because half the season is still ahead, and we still have things to do in La Liga, the Copa, and the Champions League. When things don’t go your way, you have to continue because the opponent won’t forgive you.”
The last night’s game has brought two players into the spotlight, Joan Garcia and Unai Simon, for their contrasting performances and their positions in the Spanish national team. However, Valverde was not blaming his goalkeeper for the goals conceded:
“When you’ve conceded five, you don’t look at any one player because nobody played well.”
Known for his straightforward approach, Valverde did not issue apologies:
“I usually don’t do that; I don’t like it. I try to prepare the team to give everything, and if we can win and score big, we do it. This is a game where you have to overcome the situations that arise, and that’s what we have to do.”
There is no doubt that the former Barcelona coach would have been left very disappointed last night. Meanwhile, the Blaugranes remain on track to win the first trophy of the season.