In a somber Spanish Super Cup semi-final played in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Barcelona defeated Osasuna 2-0 thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in the second half.
Barca and Real Madrid, who had defeated city rivals Atletico Madrid in an incredible 5-3 derby earlier in the week, set up a spectacular showdown match on Sunday. This year’s final, which Barca won 3-1, will be rematched.
In a dull first half, Barcelona controlled possession but lacked creativity and hardly challenged their opponents.
Lewandowski had a number of half-chances that he should have improved on, but Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera held firm, and only in the 59th minute did Barca find their feet and break the stalemate.
Lewandowski was found by Ilkay Gundogan with a through pass, and the striker scored from close range.
The VAR review verified the goal, but the Osasuna players were incensed and took their grievances to the referee, claiming that Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen had fouled Jose Arnaiz before to initiating the counterattack.
Because the officiating standards were so diverse throughout the whole match, we felt that we had been treated unfairly. Movistar Plus was informed by Osasuna manager Jagoba Arrasate that the foul was evident.
“Watching live it looked like a foul, to be honest, but the replay shows that there was nothing…” Xavi Hernandez, manager of Barcelona, said
“The referee might sometimes work in our favor and other times against us… But I don’t believe he had a significant influence on today’s result.”
Joao Felix came off the bench after Lewandowski’s score, and the Portuguese attacker provided further momentum. Due to Barca’s seeming lack of offensive punch, goalkeeper Herrera had to make a few outstanding saves to keep Osasuna alive.
In order to seal the victory and set up an El Clasico in the final, Joao Felix orchestrated a swift counterattack and assisted Yamal, who fired low into the goal.
“You win the finals; you don’t play in them. We want to play against a team that I really liked seeing in the previous semifinal,” Xavi said.
There are no favorites, though—this is an El Clasico. I hope, like last year, the final goes in our favor. At the very least, we shall enjoy it since we are the current champs.”
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