Bilbao player tackles Barcelona's Lamine Yamal during the Spanish Super Cup semifinal match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (AP)

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 9, (AP): Lamine Yamal and Gavi Páez scored to lead Barcelona past Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and into the Spanish Super Cup final.

Gavi scored in the 17th minute of the semifinal for his first goal since the midfielder returned to playing in October after a serious leg injury that sidelined him for nearly a year.

Gavi then helped Yamal put the result away in the 52nd with a pass that the 17-year-old controlled while twirling toward the goal. Yamal sized up goalkeeper Unai Simón and slotted home to double the lead.

Yamal didn’t reveal which rival he would prefer for the final, saying "The final will be tough, and we want to win it, that is the important thing.”

Gavi got Barcelona going after he redirected a short pass from Alejandro Balde after the left-back had reached the end line in Athletic's area.

Athletic could barely muster a threat until it was behind by two goals. Iñaki Williams thought he had scored in the final minutes but it was waived off after a video review ruled him offside.

The loss ended a 15-game unbeaten streak for Ernesto Valverde's team across all competitions.

Athletic was participating in the tournament as the winner of last season’s Copa del Rey. Barcelona is here as the Spanish league’s runner-up. The minor trophy has become a major cash maker for the federation and competing clubs since the federation struck a deal in 2019 to hold it in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Spain’s government stepped in Wednesday to provisionally allow midfielder Dani Olmo and forward Pau Víctor to continue playing for Barcelona following the Spanish league’s refusal to do so.

Barcelona appealed the decision by the league to Spain’s Higher Council for Sport, a government body under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Sports. The council has initially ruled in Barcelona’s favor to allow the two players to continue participating in official competitions while it studies the appeal and makes a definitive ruling.