MADRID
Athletic Bilbao beat European and Spanish champions Barcelona over the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup on Monday night - securing their first silverware in 31 years.
Having won the first leg in Bilbao 4-0, the Basque team drew 1-1 with their Catalan rivals in Barcelona.
Lionel Messi’s first-half goal from close-range threatened a Barcelona comeback but when Gerard Pique was sent off after the break for an angry outburst at a linesman it seemed unlikely they would come back from a three-goal deficit.
Aritz Aduriz's equalizer against 10-man Barcelona in the 74th minute - his fourth over both legs - meant Bilbao seemed certain to lift the cup.
Bilbao striker Kike Sola was sent off towards the end of the fixture but by then Barcelona had spurned their dominant possession.
The victory prevented Barcelona from performing a clean sweep of available trophies for the 2014/15 season. They took the league, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.
