Barcelona: Athletic Bilbao's Spanish Super Cup victory against Barcelona not only earned them their first major trophy in 31 years but also ended coach Ernesto Valverde's long wait for silverware with the Basque club he represented as a player.
A 1-1 draw in Monday's second leg at the Nou Camp secured a 5-1 aggregate success, ending a barren run for Bilbao since they won Spain's traditional season opener in 1984.
Bilbao's achievement is all the more remarkable considering they only field players of Basque origin and Valverde, who won one cap for Spain, could not contain his delight at his post-match news conference.
The 51-year-old, who joined the club as a player in 1990 after brief stints at Espanyol and Barca, also coached Bilbao between 2003 and 2005 before taking the helm at clubs including Espanyol, Villarreal, Valencia and Olympiakos Piraeus.
Nicknamed 'the ant' for his busy playing style, he won several titles while in charge at the Greek club but Monday's success was his first in Spain.
"Right now I feel an incredible joy for everything that this means," Valverde told reporters.
"Finally we have won a title that all our fans deserve,' he added.
"This is something we have been chasing for a long time and many generations have come and gone since 1984. I never won anything with Bilbao as a player but we knew that at some point it had to happen."
Barca coach Luis Enrique was gracious in defeat and said the Spanish and European champions were in good shape to begin their quest for a sixth La Liga title in eight years on Sunday when they play Bilbao again at the San Mames.
He refused to discuss the second-half dismissal of centre back Gerard Pique, who was shown a straight red card after striding up to the assistant referee and yelling in his face.
"In my opinion Bilbao played a great first leg and they are worthy champions," Luis Enrique told a news conference.
"You have to know how to win and lose," the former Barca and Spain midfielder added.
"It is good to lose sometimes to help you understand how hard and rewarding it is to win."
Barca captain Andres Iniesta said that despite Monday's reverse the team were excited about starting their bid for a sixth La Liga title.
He said the dismissal of Pique 10 minutes into the second half after he insulted an assistant referee had effectively ended Barca's chances of a comeback.
"It's a shame because a title has slipped through our grasp but on Sunday we start La Liga with great anticipation and we will try to have a great season," Iniesta told reporters.
"We failed to score more than the one goal in the first half and in the second, with Pique's sending off, things got much harder for us."
Enrique switched goalkeepers after Marc-Andre ter Stegen conceded eight goals in his last two outings, opting for Claudio Bravo, who only played in league games last season. The manager also returned to his first-choice squad - except for Neymar (mumps) and Jordi Alba (injured) - after Bilbao picked apart his mix of regulars and reserves in the first leg.
With their pride stung and nothing to lose, Barcelona showed the verve they lacked from the first leg right from the start. But missed chances and bad tempers soon quashed any slim hopes of a comeback.
Pedro Rodriguez blasted the ball high from close range moments before Pique began his frequent incursions into attack and smashed the ball off the bar in the sixth minute.
The Camp Nou crowd erupted when Messi finally broke through just before the break after Suarez chested Ivan Rakitic's cross down for the forward to poke past goalie Gorka Iraizoz.
But instead of unsettling Bilbao, it was Barcelona that came undone. The team paid dearly for Pique's outburst at the line judge for what the Spain defender thought was an offside situation that wasn't flagged.
Aritz Aduriz sealed the result against the undermanned back line when he was left unmarked and with enough time to put his own rebound past Bravo. (REUTERS)
