Barcelona 3 Athletic Bilbao 1
Barcelona Messi 20', 74' Neymar 37'
Athletic Bilbao Williams 80'
Man of the match Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
BARCELONA // It is two down, one to go for Barcelona in their aim to win the treble in Luis Enrique’s first season as Camp Nou manager.
The former player became Barca’s fourth to win the Copa del Rey as a player and a manager with a 3-1 win against Athletic Bilbao in Camp Nou on Saturday night.
He is widely appreciated, but it was Lionel Messi’s name which was sung loudest by Barca fans, a minority in the 97,000 crowd, as their team lifted the cup for a record 27th time.
Athletic Bilbao fans may have seen their team outclassed, but they impressed as 60,000 of them filled Barcelona’s plazas and thoroughfares in the sun before the match.
They were optimistic, but also realistic for not only had Barca beaten them home and away in the league this season, but the Catalans also triumphed against the Basques in the 2009 and 2012 cup finals.
Messi starred with goals in both those ties, just as he did in the 2015 final.
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Though Athletic finished this season strongly and rose from 13th in February to seventh at the end to earn European qualification, their Basque only side does not posses the class of Barca’s.
While Barca were superior in every department, Messi was again the stand out star and his opening goal was as exhilarating as any in his stellar career so far.
Twenty minutes in and seemingly trapped by three Basque foes by the touchline, Messi cut in from the right, beat all three and then a fourth before drilling the ball between Iago Herrerin his near post for his 57th club goal of the season.
“I think Messi’s first goal was one of his best ever, spectacular,” said Xavi Hernandez, who played his final Barca game on home soil. “He went from his man and two others who were covering. Brutal, simply spectacular.”
The watching Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri will spend the week pondering for a solution how to stop him in Saturday’s Uefa Champions League final.
Football’s finest player, Messi is a game changer like no other. When he is at his motivated best as he has been since a January spat with Luis Enrique and subsequent clearing of the air, nobody can touch him.
Athletic were full of pride an endeavour. They are a solid, proud football team with vast fan base which regularly fill their huge new stadium. Valverde is a wise manager, but his players could only shake their heads after Messi had beaten four of them plus the goalkeeper to score the game’s opener.
Messi was at heart of the second, too, combining with the exceptional Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez to make it easy for Neymar to finish. It was the 119th goal for Barca’s attacking triumvirate this season, surpassing the previous record set by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain.
The Messi-Neymar axis has shown its devastating potential when the Argentine lobbed a ball forward for the Brazilian to finish in the ninth minute, only for it to be flagged offside.
Barca’s record goalscorer was everywhere. A 44th-minute free-kick from 30 metres was heading under Iago Herrerin’s crossbar until the Basque goalkeeper saved. That drew widespread applause from the huge crowd, whose actions are likely to see political repercussions after they booed the Spanish national anthem in front of the watching King Felipe.
Two hours later, after Messi had scored Barca’s third from a 73rd minute Daniel Alves cross, the huge crowd had emptied from the stadium but for a few thousand Barca fans in the south goal.
Unusually, the players stayed on the pitch, posing for photos with each other and their families with their latest trophy. They savoured the moment ahead of the Champions League final and Messi was at one with his team. And with Messi in such devastating form, they will fly to Berlin as favourites.
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