Copa del Rey Finals between Sevilla and FC Barcelona
April 21, 2018
A finals to remember and cherish forever for Barca and Iniesta
It was Iniesta’s last Cope del Rey game as the beloved Barca
magician looks set to leave FC Barcelona at the end of this season. It was also
time to erase the pain of the Champions League exit. That was more than enough
for Barca to put up an inspired show at the Wanda Metropolitano.
It was a full strength Barcelona that was fielded by
Valverda and they came out all guns blazing. They never gave the stunned Sevilla
any time or space as they chalked out attack after attack. All of Sevilla were
forced to defend and run behind the Barca players in search of the ball. Whenever
Barca gave away the ball, they were quick to win it back. Sevilla was left
gasping for breath. Whenever they attacked, Pique and Umtiti were upto the task
with the rest doing their bit commendably.
Within the first 10 minutes Messi had a lovely free-kick saved by Soria as he tipped it over. All the aggression naturally had to end in a goal. And that’s
exactly what happened. A long ball from Cilissen started a counter for Barca. Coutinho
was able to find Luis Saurez with a lovely pass which the burly Uruguayan
finished off with aplomb. Surprisingly it was Suarez’s first goal in a Copa del
Rey finals. Sevilla started to find their footing and attacked more after the
first Barca goal. But they lacked the firepower of a good striker.
Meanwhile Iniesta and Alba were combining well each other as well as
with the lurking Messi, creating some interesting moves. Iniesta’s ambitious shot
hit the woodwork. In another 15 minutes
came the next one. A neat one two between Iniesta and Alba, had Alba in the
Sevilla box. He sent in a back heel which was met by Messi and the chief
tormentor of Sevilla was only too pleased to finish it off with his swinging
left foot to make it 2-0. It was Leo’s 40th goal of the season (an
incredible 9th time in as many years) and he had scored in 5 Copa
del Rey finals till now – the 2nd player to achieve it after Thelmo
Zarra.
Barcelona continued their relentless attacks and Luis Suarez
got the ball from the middle. He passed it on to Messi and moved forward. The
magical Messi sent in a magnificent pass which got past three Sevilla defenders
and found Suarez with pin point precision. (Wait! Was that Xavi?). Luis Suarez
was not in a mood to miss and he found his mark making it 3-0 for Barcelona at
half time. Sevilla looked shattered and many fans in the stadium wept in
despair as their team crumbled.
The 2nd half was no different. Barcelona were on
the attack from the word go. Luis Suarez gave the ball to Iniesta who in turn
passed it to Messi. Messi waited a second and gave a sweet through pass to the advancing
Iniesta on the right. Iniesta beautifully rounded the goalkeeper and sent in a
sublime right foot from a very tight angle to make it 4-0 for Barcelona. Time
seem to stand still - it was just like old days as the two little guys of Barca
combined to create magic, probably for the last time in a Copa del Rey match. The
warmth of that celebration said it all as everyone smothered their captain with
hugs and kisses.
Another free kick from Messi found Suarez but his shot was
saved by the goalkeeper Soria. The ball bounced on to Umtiti but his effort
was again saved by the alert Soria. With so much happening, how could Countinho
be left out? He had a good game and was instrumental in a number of attacks. A neat one two between the former Liverpool mates – Suarez and Coutinho
saw Coutinho finish it off. But the referee had blown the whistle for a
handball by a Sevilla defender. Coutinho took the resulting penalty to score
his first goal for Barcelona in a final and made it 5-0 for a deserving
Barcelona.
Sevilla found themselves stepping into a nightmare and it
was becoming worse by the minute. After going up 5-0, Barcelona took their foot of the pedal. Sevilla did get a few chances to attack, but
Cilissen and co were not ready to concede even an inch. Thankfully for the
battered Sevilla, it all ended in 90 minutes.
It was the first trophy for FC Barcelona this season, under
Valverde and it was truly an awesome display by his team. The Atletico Madrid
fortress looked like Camp Nou, with the spirited Barcelona fans filling up the stadium
with their signature colors and songs and much to their joy, their team turned
up in style. It was a joy to watch a Barca team in full flow, with Messi and Iniesta being at their lethal best. Barcelona had now won a record 30 Copa del Rey finals. Congratulations Champions.
But tonight it was all about Andres Iniesta, as his
teammates rallied hard for their brilliant midfield maestro. Every one of them
wanted to make it an unforgettable one for their legendary captain. And
memorable it was, for the man who had given millions of football fans, numerous jaw
dropping moments to cherish. As he was substituted in the game, a teary eyed
and emotional Iniesta was given a standing ovation (as always) by Barcelona and Sevilla fans alike. As he held aloft the Copa del Rey, with the FC Barcelona
captain’s armband, for one last time, one more glorious chapter was added to his
immortal legacy. Hopefully Barca will finish off on a high with the Spanish
League title to make it a magnificent double for the irreplaceable and legendary Iniesta, as he bids adieu.
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