Lionel Messi was sent off when Barcelona were beaten 3-2 by Athletic Bilbao after being extended in the Spanish Super Cup final in Seville on Sunday.
Two goals from Antoine Griezmann gave Barça the advantage at La Cartuja. The Frenchman opened the scoring with a clever finish from inside the box and restored Barca’s lead in the 77th minute after Oscar de Marcos drew just before the break.
Barça were just minutes away from winning their first trophy under coach Ronald Koeman, when Asier Villalibre scored a 90th free kick to make it 2 to 2 and extended the tie for another 30 minutes.
Inaki Williams’ impressive shot in the 94th minute sentenced the game, with Messi turning red for the first time as a Barça player for hitting Villalibre in the final minute, while frustration increased.
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Positives
Griezmann’s goals should give him confidence after a difficult season, although the fact that they were worthless in the end will hurt. Other than that, young defender Ronald Araujo returned to impress.
Negatives
The worst thing about losing a first silver piece this season – and the first since 2018-19 under Ernesto Valverde – is that Barça had 240 minutes for pleasure. After mid-week overtime against Real Sociedad, the last thing they needed was an overtime again against Athletic in an already congested season, especially since it didn’t end with the first Koeman era trophy.
One wonders how Messi, doubtful until the last minute due to an injury, will recover particularly from the effort.
Elsewhere, defense is a problem. There are many lapses in concentration in defense, especially Jordi Alba and Clement Lenglet. A nine-game unbeaten run has helped Barça slowly reverse their season, but this was a wake-up call: they still have a long way to go.
Manager rating out of 10
5 – Koeman eliminated Ousmane Dembele and Pedri just before Villalibre’s last-minute draw and Barça never looked like the same team again. Athletic was a well-deserved winner, with their new coach, Marcelino, winning the tactical battle.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes receive no rating)
GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 6 – There was little I could do about any of the goals.
DF Sergino Dest, 6 – It only lasted until the break after failing to fully recover from a thigh injury.
DF Ronald Araujo, 7 – Good in the air and fast on the ground, he handled Williams’ threat and speed well.
DF Clement Lenglet, 5 – He was walking a tightrope from the moment he was flattered by getting Williams dirty in the first half. His position was bad for Villalibre’s goal.
DF Jordi Alba, 5 – He helped define Barça’s two goals, but he also defended Atlético’s two goals badly. He let De Marcos in behind him for the first and dodged the free kick that led to the second.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 – Okay. Once again it was well positioned and extinguished some athletic attacks.
MF Frenkie de Jong, 7 – He tried to advance the ball, but lacked support in the final third.
MF Pedri, 6 – Athletic took much better care of him this time, after being torn apart by him at San Mames, just 10 days ago.
FW Ousmane Dembele, 6 – It took some promising positions and was always a threat with its acceleration, but it lacked a final product.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 8 – He accepted the goals well and worked hard, especially in defense.
FW Lionel Messi, 5 – He recovered from an injury to start the game, but he didn’t look fit. His frustration, with himself and the performance of his team, bubbled up in the end, when he received a rare red card.
Substitutes
DF Oscar Mingueza, 6 – He replaced Dest at halftime, but struggled against the impressive Iker Muniain, who was everywhere.
MF Miralem Pjanic, N / R – He had more minutes than he expected, coming to see the game after Griezmann’s goal and then winning 30 extras.
FW Martin Braithwaite, N / R – It was not the threat that Barça needed when they were chasing the game.
MF Riqui Puig, N / R – He went into overtime and demanded the ball, but did not produce anything worthy of note this time, after his heroism of penalty kicks in the middle of the week.