Three corners in the opening three minutes signalled Athletic Club’s intent, but it was Barcelona who came close to opening the scoring after a delightful Barça move ended with a first shot on target from Pedri.
Fermin Lopez should’ve done much better when one-on-one with Unai Simon, as the Catalans began to stretch their legs against the Basques.
However, Ferran Torres spared his blushes in the very next attack, hitting the ball into the ground and over the despairing Simon, from a Fermin assist.
Athletic weren’t as intense in their play as they had been in the opening few minutes, and right on the half-hour mark, a superb cross from Raphinha picked out Fermín, who finished with a fine left-footed effort.
The game was then effectively over as a contest in the 33rd minute, as Roony Bardghji bamboozled Adama Boiro before Simon allowed the winger’s shot to squeeze under him.
And with Athletic now in tatters, Raphinha still had time to score the goal of the game before the half-time whistle, as he arrowed a howitzer into the roof of the net.
Rather than rest on their laurels, Barça were the side that set the tone at the start of the second half. Despite multiple attempts to clear the ball, Athletic couldn’t prevent Raphinha rifling a fifth home with 40 minutes still to play.
A belated spell of attacking play from the Lions saw Mikel Jauregizar hit the target, though he fired straight at Joan Garcia, and Unai Gomez somehow missed the target entirely with only Garçia to beat.
Those despairing moments also summed up an evening of contrasting fortunes, which saw Barça continue their record of scoring in all of their 11 Super Cup games in its current format, while netting 2+ goals for a ninth occasion within that streak. Athletic Club, by contrast, have now won just once in their last six games across all competitions (D2, L3).