In Saudi Arabia the crowd chanted for Messi in Barcelona’s victory over Osasuna in the Spanish Super Cup

I missed the Barcelona that of combining finals and setting records. After the departure of Lionel Messi –remembered by the public 10 minutes into the match with a little song-, that was no longer a constant. But this Thursday in Saudi Arabia, where the definition of the Spanish Super Cupwon the semi-final 2-0 against Osasuna and the championship will be defined on Sunday real Madrid.

The scorer of the second goal was Yamal laminae, 16 years old, and there is no one younger in the historical ranking. For him Barcelona It’s a double vote: he also broke the footballer’s record minor in the Spanish competition. The previous one was also a Barça player: Ansu Fati He registered the trademark at the age of 17 years and 70 days.

Yamal is 16 years and 182 days old and it will be difficult for another teenager to cancel your registration. The striker is so small that he watched last year’s final, which also featured Barcelona and Real Madrid, in front of the television with his friends. “I am very happy and eager to win (the classic final). If we are focused we can do it”the player supposed.

When Yamal was born, Robert Lewandowski was already 17 years old and had made his debut in the Polish league. Against Osasuna, both contributed to taking the Catalan team to the final. Apparently in Barcelona you have to fear the older one – the Pole is 35 years old – and the younger one.

If the other key player had scored eight goals and extended Real Madrid’s 5-3 lead over Atlético, it seemed like only one extension would have been achieved in this one. The match was extremely close. Just 14 minutes into the second half Lewandowski managed to open the scoring.

He had a bit of suspense about the VAR control because at the beginning of the action which ended in a goal, José Arnáiz accused Andreas Christensen of beating him He stole the ball and two passes later it became 1-0 when the Pole managed to change the stick, defining between his two marks.

At Al Awal Park in Saudi Arabia things were not easy for Xavi Hernandez’s team. He had the ball, he managed to circulate it, but he was unable to penetrate the Osasuna defense, which seemed oiled and compact. And without being able to overcome that difficulty, he also suffered when the team led by Jagoba Arrasate managed to go on the counterattack.

But with the advantage obtained, Osasuna risked more than with the 0-0. Already in injury time, the Portuguese Joao Félix made a great performance on the left, emerged in the center and helped Yamal to widen the gap and bring the curtains down on the match. The attacker hits it low and, despite the deflection from goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, the ball goes in and confirms the most awaited final.

On Sunday in Riyadh the Spanish classic will experience its ninth Super Cup final. The previous one was last year. The balance is favorable for all of Madridwho won six of the eight played.

However, between the two, Barcelona have won the Super Cup the most times: they have lifted the trophy 14 times, while Merengue has done so on a dozen occasions. Far from Spain, the two most representative teams of La Liga will host a final that – even literally – crossed borders.