BILBAO — Athletic Bilbao roared to a stunning 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup after striker Aritz Aduriz picked apart the European champions with a second-half hat trick Friday. It was Barcelona's biggest loss under coach Luis Enrique, whose decision to start several reserve players helped the Basque hosts keep Lionel Messi in check. Before Aduriz turned it into a rout, Mikel San Jose set the tone in the 13th minute by lobbing Marc-Andre ter Stegen's long clearance back over the goalkeeper's head with a shot from inside the center circle. Barcelona will have to rebound Monday at Camp Nou to keep alive its quest to repeat the six titles in one year won in former coach Pep Guardiola's first season. “If somebody is capable of turning this result around, it's Barca,” Luis Enrique said. “I made rotations to my squad. I accept the responsibility for the loss without hesitation. Of course I am concerned about the goals we have conceded. We will try to correct that.” Luis Enrique has his work cut out for him. Last May, Barcelona beat Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey with Messi scoring a spectacular goal before adding a second strike for a 3-1 win. That Barcelona squad was unrecognizable Friday night, and not just in its faces. Apart from flashes by Messi, his players looked unfit, unfocused and uninspired for a second time game this week. Luis Enrique shuffled his starting 11 from Tuesday's European Super Cup, when Barcelona's players tired and squandered a 4-1 lead before Pedro Rodriguez netted in extra time for a 5-4 victory over Sevilla. That gave it four straight titles to go with the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey from last season. “We know how difficult it is to beat Barcelona and scoring four goals is almost impossible,” Aduriz said. “But we cannot think four goals are enough against Barcelona at its stadium.” After conceding eight goals in two games this week, Luis Enrique will have to rally his side not just for the second leg. Barcelona opens its Liga season back at Bilbao on Aug. 23. Second win for United Adnan Januzaj marked his Manchester United return with a goal as Louis van Gaal's side beat Aston Villa 1-0 Friday to claim a second consecutive Premier League victory. Making his first start since February, Januzaj converted a glorious pass from Juan Mata on the half-hour as United extended an unbeaten record in league games at Villa Park that now stands at 20 years. Following a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, this victory, in a game brought forward due to a far-right march in the area Saturday, means United, now top of the table, has started a season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2011. Villa gave home debuts to no fewer than six players, while new signing Adama Traore watched from the stands after completing his move from Barcelona, but despite strong starts to each half, last season's beaten FA Cup finalists struggled to create chances. Lille holds Monaco to 0-0 A superb performance from Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama held Monaco to a goalless draw in the French league on Friday in a game marred by injuries to two key Monaco players. Ahead of the first leg of its Champions League playoff against Valencia, Monaco lost French defender Layvin Kurzawa and Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho, who could miss next week's trip to Spain. Bayern on a scoring spree Champion Bayern Munich crushed Hamburg SV 5-0 in the Bundesliga's season opener Friday after a scintillating performance that set an early marker in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight title. German international Thomas Mueller scored twice in four minutes midway through the second half. Mehdi Benatia and Robert Lewandowski netted too while newcomer Douglas Costa, who also set up a goal, grabbed the fifth in the 87th minute. Bayern, odds-on favourite to retain its league crown, was never threatened by the visitor which needed a relegation playoff to stay up last season and started the new campaign with a shock German Cup first-round defeat by fourth tier Carl Zeiss Jena last week. — Agencies
