MADRID, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola warned his players there was still work to do on Monday after the Spanish powerhouse took a big step towards claiming the Super Cup.
Barcelona came back from a goal down to beat Athletic Club Bilbao 2-1 in Athletic' s San Mames Stadium in their run for the first trophy of the new season.
Second half goals from Xavi Hernandez and Pedro cancelled out Oscar De Marcos' opener for the Basque outfit, but even though his side will be at home for the second leg next weekend, Guardiola warned against complacency.
"Athletic have come from playing a Europa League game against Young Boys and they were well prepared. Athletic is one of the great football teams and they have pride in their colors. It is a good result but we will do very well to take the return leg seriously," he said on the Barcelona website.
"We played a really good first 25 minutes and had chances, but maybe we tried to play too quickly and that was not so effective. You have to prepare things well," said Guardiola.
The Barcelona coach also had words of praise for the Athletic fans, who had generously applauded Barca captain Xavi off the pitch.
"It's fantastic, it shows just how good the Athletic fans are. They applauded him because of his entire career and not just his performance in the game."
"I am delighted he has received that kind of recognition," he concluded.
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