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MADRID.  — Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday as Athletic Bilbao pulled off a 2-1 victory in Malaga to reach tomorrow’s final against Barcelona.

Raul Garcia scored twice in the first half, the second a penalty, and while Karim Benzema pulled one back for the defending champions, Bilbao held on to complete a statement win under their new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. Bilbao were beaten 3-2 by Barca in LaLiga only last week, with Lionel Messi scoring twice at San Mames, yet they will get another shot at Ronald Koeman’s side this weekend, with a trophy up for grabs in Seville.

“We are 90 minutes from winning a title,” said Marcelino.

“It would be amazing, and even better to do it beating Real Madrid and Barcelona.”

Real coach Zinedine Zidane was defiant in defeat.

“It is not a failure,” he said. “You can’t win every game.”

Messi is touch and go to be fit for the final, after missing Wednesday’s penalty shoot-out victory over Real Sociedad with a muscle problem, although even without their captain, Barcelona will be strong favourites.

Bilbao, though, should take huge confidence from an excellent performance at La Rosaleda in what was only their second game under Marcelino, who replaced the sacked Gaizka Garitano earlier this month.

They were also up against a Madrid team that had been unbeaten since December 1, even if a chaotic weekend caused by the heavy snowstorm in Spain might have had lasting effects on players’ minds and bodies.

Zidane insisted he was not making excuses on Saturday when he criticised the state of the snow-dusted pitch following the goalless draw at Osasuna.

Cancelled flights meant Madrid’s players were unable to leave Pamplona until Monday, forced to fly straight to Malaga without returning home.

But even Zidane admitted on Wednesday that four days preparation was enough and there was little to suggest concern from his line-up given it was his full-strength team, the same core of players that has driven their resurgence since October. — AFP.