Photo: Reuters
Lionel Messi scored an outrageous solo goal as Barcelona inch closer to the treble after winning the Copa del Rey. Athletic Bilbao had to face Lionel Messi at his very best, as the Argentine pranced past the Bilbao players marvelously, before beating the goalkeeper at the near-post. Undoubtedly one the goals of the season, Messi’s moment of magic was the highlight of a near-perfect performance by Luis Enrique’s men. The Spaniard fielded his strongest side but nothing could take the spotlight off Leo Messi, especially after this jaw-dropping individual goal. Messi received the ball a few yards in the Bilbao half and the diminutive phenomenon, mobbed by his opponents, departed on marauding run past the hapless Bilbao men, who were rendered mere spectators, to rifle a low shot into the bottom-corner.
Photo: Stuart Franklin
To rival his own wonder goal, Messi was the architect of the next one, playing a swift one-two with Rakitic, who fed Suarez the ball slicing the Bilbao defence and the Uruguayan, quite unselfishly, passed the ball to Neymar for a tap-in. Messi got his second of the evening and 58th of the season, when he ghosted in to tap-in Dani Alves’ cross. The Brazilian right-back latched on to a through ball by his fellow countryman Neymar, and the former put in an inviting cross and Messi, ghosted in to take adavantage of some lacklustre defending by Bilbao. Inaki Williams headed home in the 79th minute to give his side the chance to mount an unlikely comeback but it proved to be nothing more than consolation, as Barcelona won their first domestic cup since 2012.
Photo: Reuters
Xavi, brought on as a late substitute, played his last game at the Camp Nou and came close to scoring a spectacular farewell goal, when his free-kick struck the left-post. Barcelona rode on the brilliance of Lionel Messi to clinch a fully deserved Copa del Rey, as Athletic Bilbao were no match for the mercurial Catalans. Barcelona will now head to Berlin, to face Juventus in the Champions League final and quite intriguingly, both sides are contesting for the treble.
Wolfsburg were party-poopers, winning their first ever DFB Pokal, in a match culminating Jurgen Klopp’s highly successful reign as Borussia Dortmund manager. The players in yellow were out to hand Klopp a parting gift and were well on course to do so, when Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang handed his side an early lead. The entire season for Borussia blew hot and cold and this match was no different, as they simply lost the plot after playing the first 20 minutes brilliantly. Luiz Gustavo equalised for the Wolves when he was the first to reach the ball, after ‘keeper Langerak parried away Naldo swerving free-kick. Kevin de Bruyne, got the second, when the sent his shot 25-yards through Mats Hummels legs. Wolfsburg continued their ruthless response to the early goal, when Bas Dost, in typical fashion, headed home from close range to make it 3-1 by 38 minutes.
The fanatical Dortmund fans travelled to Berlin in large numbers, to witness their side perform in Klopp’s last game and the noise in the Olympiastadion was deafening. Although Dortmund came close in the second-half, Dieter Hecking’s men held on to clinch their first ever domestic cup.
“I know everyone wants to know about how I feel,” said Klopp after the game. “But if I start with that, then the tears come. We lost a game and I cannot make as if I am the most important person in the world.”
Tags: Copa del Rey Messi Messi magic
