The Athletic coach was over the moon with his side's victory but says it was far from an easy job despite their commanding first-leg lead

Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde has admitted their Supercopa de Espana triumph over Barcelona was more nerve-rattling than the scoreline suggested.

The Basque club downed the Catalans 5-1 on aggregate after earning a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou on Monday to end a 31-year title drought.

Barcelona looked ready to bounce back from losing the first leg 4-0 when Lionel Messi scored just prior to half-time, but that is where the European champions' comeback ended - with first-leg hero Aritz Aduriz forcing a draw on the night with a 74th-minute goal.

"The first half was tough because Barca pressed and pressed and they are a brilliant side," Valverde told AS.

"Just when they were playing at their worst they scored and that breathed life into them. From the outside it might have appeared that we suffered, and when they scored, we did.

"We played well from the start of the second half and achieved what we set out to do."

Valverde dedicated the trophy to the club's fans, many of whom made the 600-kilometre-plus trip south-east for the momentous occasion.

"We finally achieved the title that these people deserved. Everything is what we saw in the cup final when we came to Camp Nou to play a final and see how our people came up here know what drag and what the Athletic. We know what this means for them.

"The most important of my team is solidarity and that [we] will never let you down. It is a requirement that we Athletic sometimes we do better or worse, but we know that we will roll forward."