Fermin 9.5, Raphinha 10 | Barcelona 5-0 Athletic Club: Player Ratings | OneFootball

Barcelona bulldozed past Athletic Club on Wednesday night in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup with one of their best and most dominant performance in recent weeks.

After two back-to-back games riding on Joan Garcia’s brilliance, the Catalans took the game in Saudi Arabia by its scruff and pressed on the gas, suffocating the opponents before they even had a chance to react.

Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, Roony Bardghji and Raphinha all struck within 16 minutes to send Barcelona 4-0 up by the 38-minute mark, and the Blaugrana had virtually sealed the result before half-time.

Raphinha netted another after the break and Flick then pulled out some vital substitutions, resting Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha for the all-important final at the weekend.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona 5-0 Athletic Club.

Joan Garcia: 7.5

The goalkeeper had a silent night contrasting to how his previous two games for the team went. With Barcelona dominating the game, Athletic Club barely got on the ball to pose any threat to his goal and he had to make just one save in 45 minutes.

Alejandro Balde: 7

Balde did a solid job defensively, although he was barely called into action on that front. Progressed the ball effectively into attack and helped the team with the buildup and transition to great effect.

Pau Cubarsi: 7.5

Cubarsi excelled with his decision-making as he popped in with five vital clearances in the first half to diffuse the threat from Athletic Club attacks before they stemmed into anything greater. His distribution, as always, was on point.

Completed the game with nine defensive actions and eight clearances.

Eric Garcia: 8

The academy graduate moved back to central defence on the night, replacing Gerard Martin and providing a more rounded defensive profile.

Excelled with his distribution and was the starting point of Barcelona’s buildup play from deep.

Jules Kounde: 7.5

The Frenchman did not have much defensive responsibility on the night and did well to link up with Bardghji on the flank.

Did not venture as far forward as he did in recent games and held his line to good effect.

Pedri: 8.5

Pedri’s return to the starting lineup immediately saw Barcelona’s ball retention, possession, and buildup play improve multiple levels.

The team was comfortable on the ball, primarily owing to his retention and ability to play through the lines – all while maintaining a good structure defensively.

Frenkie de Jong: 8

The Dutchman started as Pedri’s partner in the double pivot after long and was clinical with his distribution and vertical passes.

Did not have a whole lot of work to do off the ball, but ensured his positioning on the field always provided a passing outlet.

Fermin Lopez: 9.5

Fermin’s dream run continues. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Fermin’s dream run of form continued on Wednesday night as he racked up a goal and two assists in the first half alone.

He assisted Ferran Torres for the team’s opener with a smart pass despite not fully controlling the ball and then went on to score the team’s second with a stunning strike from a difficult angle.

Minutes later, the player again linked up with Bardghji to set up the new signing’s goal on the night – once again getting himself a goal contribution.

Roony Bardghji: 9

The new signing was given the start ahead of Lamine Yamal on the night, possibly because the youngster was nursing mild discomfort – and he again delivered a statement performance demanding more prominence.

Bardghi was lively on the right flank with his dribbling, switches of pace, and link-up play. He completed over 90% of his passes and had two shots on target with one sneaking past Unai Simón as well.

Raphinha: 10

Barcelona’s leader in attack. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

The Brazilian started on Barcelona’s left flank and was effective with his pace, transition ability, and lethal strike.

He scored Barcelona’s fourth goal on the night with an absolutely stunning strike from an impossible angle and also earned the assist for Fermin Lopez’s goal earlier in the half with a smart and intentional cut-back.

Ferran Torres: 7.5

Ferran opened the scoring for Barcelona in Saudi Arabia with an awkward shot off Fermin’s assist, but his first-half display was not anything great beyond that.

Given the holes in Athletic Club’s defence, he should have got into scoring positions more often.