Thaindian News

Madrid, Aug 17 (DPA) Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 away to Athletic Bilbao in a colourful first leg of the Spanish Supercup, the traditional curtain-raiser of the Spanish season.
Oscar de Marcos gave Bilbao the lead Sunday, only for Xavi and Pedro Dominguez to turn the tables for Barca with handsome second-half goals.

Bilbao will now need to win the second leg next Sunday in Barca’s Camp Nou stadium, no easy feat at all.

“We will have to be much sharper in Barcelona,” said Bilbao defender Aitor Ocio at the end. “It will be difficult there, but we have to try to win it.”

Pedro, for his part, said that “we reacted very well after they took the lead, and achieved an excellent result”.

Barca went into their first official game of the season without injured strikers Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but nonetheless made an aggressive start, with Bojan Krkic and Daniel Alves forcing sharp saves from Gorka Iraioz.

Xavi should have put Barca ahead in the 14th minute, but it was the hosts who struck first, to everyone’s surprise. Just one minute before half-time Bilbao newcomer De Marcos cut in from the left and made it 1-0 with a shot which took a wicked deflection off Barca captain Carles Puyol.

The same as in May’s King’s Cup final - in which Barca thrashed Bilbao 4-1 after going a goal down - Josep Guardiola’s team soon resumed control.

Xavi made it 1-1 in the 58th minute with a clever near-post drive, after good work from Seydou Keita and Pedro.

And 11 minutes later Pedro, one of the many youth products given their wings by Guardiola, won the game with a fierce drive from outside the area which again beat Iraioz on his near post.

However, the Bilbao keeper finished the match on a high note by turning a trademark Alves blast onto his crossbar, as Barca cruised their way to the final whistle.