JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Young starlets Gavi and Lamine Yamal fired Barcelona, without Dani Olmo after his license to play was revoked, into the Spanish Super Cup final with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Spanish playmaker Olmo was cleared to play again on a temporary basis before the game but the decision came too late for him or Pau Victor, in the same position, to feature against Copa del Rey winners Athletic.
Gavi put Barcelona ahead from close range after 17 minutes and teenage winger Yamal netted the second early after the break.
Spanish and European champions Real Madrid face cup runners-up Mallorca on Thursday in the second semifinal in Saudi Arabia, where the competition has been held for the past few years.
“Athletic are a very physical team that make you run a lot, we suffered above all toward the end, but we were able to play well and we’re very happy,” Yamal told Movistar.
The winger said Olmo and Victor were pleased to be allowed to play once more.
“In the end you’re nervous when you can’t play and when you get news like that, you’re very happy,” added Yamal.
Barca coach Hansi Flick hailed the decision from Spain’s national sports council regarding Olmo and Victor.
“The whole club is very happy for this right decision,” said Flick, hoping to win his first silverware at the helm of Barca.
“We wanted to show we are a team and we win also for them.”
Barcelona, who qualified as La Liga runners-up, started brightly and Raphinha volleyed over from a fine Jules Kounde cross and forced Unai Simon into a good save with a free-kick.
It was no surprise when the Catalans broke the deadlock with Alejandro Balde cutting the ball back for Gavi, playing in Olmo’s attacking midfield role, to turn home for his first goal since suffering a severe knee injury last season.
The 20-year-old pointed at an imaginary watch in his celebration, a nod to Olmo who regularly produces the same gesture after scoring.
At the other end Inaki Williams dallied on the ball too long as Athletic’s best attacking move of the first half broke down.
Yamal, returning after an ankle problem, should have added Barcelona’s second after Raphinha’s shot was saved but the 17-year-old miscued an attempted lob.
Wojciech Szczesny, on his second start in goal for Barcelona, made a good save to keep Inaki Williams at bay before the break.
Barcelona doubled their lead early in the second half when Gavi slipped in Yamal who finished with aplomb.
Veteran Polish forward Robert Lewandowski spurned a fine chance to add the third, firing off-target when well placed.
Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked as Barcelona boss after a defeat at the same stadium in 2020, brought on Nico Williams to try and turn the game around.
The Spain international, heavily linked with Barcelona in the summer, was not fit enough to start, but made a positive impact from the bench.
The winger set up Oscar de Marcos to strike but the Athletic defender had strayed just offside and the goal was ruled out.
Inaki Williams also had a goal ruled out for offside after Frenkie De Jong’s poor back-pass took a slight deflection off Alvaro Djalo on its way to the Ghana international.
“It’s a shame given all the effort... but we have good things ahead of us and we have to continue,” said Inaki Williams.
Barcelona were able to book their place in Sunday’s final, in which Olmo will be allowed to feature.
“We don’t care (who we face in the final), it will be hard and we want to win it, which is the important thing, and go back home with the trophy,” said Yamal.
Barcelona defeat Bilbao without Olmo to reach Spanish Super Cup final
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Barcelona defeat Bilbao without Olmo to reach Spanish Super Cup final
- Gavi put Barcelona ahead from close range after 17 minutes and teenage winger Yamal netted the second early after the break
India crushes Pakistan by 61 runs in marquee game in T20 World Cup. No handshakes again
- India made a competitive 175-7 on Sunday on a sticky pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium. In reply Pakistan was bowled out for 114 in 18 overs
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Archrivals India and Pakistan declined to shake hands before and after the most-anticipated game of cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup, with India easily winning by 61 runs on Sunday to secure its Super 8 spot.
India opener Ishan Kishan scored 77 off 40 deliveries in a match which almost didn’t take place after Pakistan had threatened a boycott earlier this month before reversing its decision.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India captain Suryakumar Yadav didn’t shake hands at the toss, which Pakistan won and chose to field. India and Pakistan players had refused to shake hands at last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates that took place amid diplomatic and military tensions between the two neighbors.
India made a competitive 175-7 on Sunday on a sticky pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium. In reply Pakistan was bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. Despite the heavy defeat, Pakistan can still advance from Group A. It plays Namibia in its last group game.
Sunday’s game was the first time the teams have met since the Asia Cup, won by India.
Early setback for India
India’s batting suffered an early setback when its most aggressive batter Abhishek Sharma was dismissed without scoring. Agha bowled the first over with four consecutive dot balls and had Sharma caught by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Kishan pulled India back with a six and two fours in the following over and he dominated an 87-run stand for the second wicket off 46 deliveries with Tilak Varma.
Kishan’s innings included three sixes and 10 boundaries before being bowled by off spinner Saim Ayub.
Ayub took two consecutive wickets in his last over to finish with his career-best T20 bowling of 3-25.
India captain Yadav (32 off 29) and Shivam Dube (27 off 17) made useful contributions for India.
Poor start for Pakistan’s chase
Seam bowler Hardik Pandya gave India an ideal start with a wicket-maiden over, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan in the fourth delivery.
Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in the next over — Ayub (lbw for 6) and Agha (caught by Pandya for 4).
Spinner Axar Patel bowled Babar Azam (5), leaving Pakistan 34-4.
Usman Khan resisted with a 34-ball 44 but was stumped when he stepped out to hit Patel.
Pandya, Bumrah, Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each.
All eyes on Colombo
In the lead-up to the match in Colombo, Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they would shake hands with his team before and after Sunday’s game.
Yadav, for his part, had been non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government considered not playing Sunday’s match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan only agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is a major revenue earner for the ICC.
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 13 times in the 17 T20 games they have played. It now also has an impressive 8-1 record in the nine T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007.
West Indies makes it 3 in 3, US keeps slim hopes alive
At Mumbai, West Indies notched its third successive win in Group C when it thumped Nepal by nine wickets and qualified for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
West Indies had already beat Scotland and England to take command of Group C.
Nepal showed plenty of promise in its first game when it lost narrowly to England, but then two heavy defeats against first-timer Italy and Sunday against West Indies saw it eliminated.
Fast bowler Jason Holder grabbed 4-27 and restricted Nepal to 133-8. ShaiHope then smashed an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls and Shimron Hetmyer scored 46 off 32 balls as West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs.
Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept the United States’ hopes of Super 8 qualification alive with a maiden T20 half-century – 68 not out off 33 balls – against Namibia in their Group A clash.
Skipper Monank Patel also scored 52 off 30 balls as the US notched up its tournament highest score – 199-4 in 20 overs.
In reply, Namibia was restricted to 168-6, losing its third game and is now eliminated from the competition.
The US won its final game by 31 runs.
