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Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Barcelona
Spanish Super Cup
Barcelona take a significant advantage through to the second leg of the 'Recopa' after beating Athletic Bilbao on their own patch.
Two second half strikes see the Blaugrana head back to Camp Nou on track to add to their Liga and Copa del Rey crowns - Athletic being their Super Cup opponents due to their being losing finalists in the latter contest - as well as the Champions League.
The impressive San Mames crowd was buoyed by a first half strike from exemplary new signing Oscar de Marcos, but Xavi and Pedro ensured that Barca held the lead.
Although Athletic had the first goal, Barcelona in fact started the game by far the better side.
Daniel Alves had the run of the right flank early on, while Bojan Krkic was the beneficiary of many of his crosses, hitting the bar early on before Alves himself tested Gorka Iraizoz with a stunning drive.
In response to this early threat the Basque side began to sit back and hit on the break, but by inviting pressure the door was open for Xavi to net after good work from Thierry Henry and Eric Abidal on the left flank. However, the Spain midfielder smashed his shot way over the bar.
On the half-hour mark Fernando Llorente very nearly showed his class with a volleyed finish after Markel Susaeta's cross, and soon afterwards De Marcos tested Valdes with a long-range effort.
That was a sign of things to come as the former Alaves man beat Gerard Pique on the edge of the area and smashing an effort goalwards. The deflection off Carles Puyol was somewhat fortunate, but the effect was undeniable as San Mames cheered as one.
Barcelona, though, started the second half with the same pace and drive as the first, and it was not a huge surprise when they took the lead just before the hour mark.
This time Xavi, an impressive attacking engine in midfield, atoned for his earlier error with a neat finish, albeit an unmarked one, as Pedro took advantage of time and space in the box to control and pass a cross from the equally at-leisure Abidal.
Barcelona continued their assault and added a second twenty-five minutes from time with a strike worthy of winning any match. Young Pedro Rodriguez did the honours with a twenty-five yarder that had power, swerve and direction sufficient to prevent Iraizoz from even threatening to save it - the first goal of the youngster's senior team career.
The match showed few signs of slowing down in the late stages as Seydou Keita came close to adding a third before the excellent Dani Alves forced yet another superb stop from Iraizoz, and even young Jeffren Suarez got in on the act with a late strike that went over the bar.
That was that, and the stage is set for Barcelona to lift the trophy in the return leg in a week's time. Athletic, though, will dream of storming fortress Barca - a task all too few sides have managed of late.
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