ATHLETIC Bilbao claimed its first silverware in three decades when the side wrapped up a 5-1 aggregate win over 10-man Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup on Monday.

    Bilbao last secured a major trophy when the side won Spain’s traditional season opener in 1984.

    Lionel Messi had given the European champions — who trailed 4-0 from the first leg — a glimmer of hope with the opener two minutes before halftime.

    However, any realistic hope Barca had of pulling off a monumental comeback disappeared when Gerard Pique was shown a straight red card for dissent 10 minutes into the second half.

    And Aritz Aduriz exploited the space left by the Spanish international defender’s dismissal to follow up his hat-trick in the first leg with the crucial away goal midway through the second half.

    “For us to win a title is the best thing that can happen to us,” Aduriz told Spanish TV station Telecinco.

    “Apart from the birth of my daughter this is the happiest day of my life.”

    The defeat ends Barcelona’s hopes of matching the club record set by Pep Guardiola’s side in 2009 of winning six trophies in a calendar year.

    They won’t have long to wait for a chance at revenge, though, as the two sides square off once more in their opening game of the La Liga season in Bilbao on Sunday.

    “It is a tie of two games and in the first they were clear victors,” said Barca captain Andres Iniesta.

    “Today we tried everything. Possibly we needed another goal in the first half so that they would have more doubts.

    “I think very few teams have won six titles. Very few have won three or four, we will go for the fifth and until December we have an interesting first part of the season ahead of us.”

    Barcelona boss Luis Enrique had made six changes to the side that was thrashed at the new San Mames on Friday with a host of first-team regulars coming back into the side.

    The hosts started on the front foot as Luis Suarez saw a shot deflected just over before Pique’s effort came back off the crossbar.

    Yet, Athletic’s mass ranks of defense were comfortably keeping Enrique’s men at bay and the visitors even had a great chance to put the tie to bed when Javier Eraso skipped past Javier Mascherano before firing into the side-netting rather than squaring for Aduriz to apply a simple finish.

    Barca finally found a way through thanks to a brilliant move as Suarez headed down for Messi who controlled the ball on his chest before sweeping home.

    (SD-Agencies)