The Copa del Rey final was a fitting end to the Spanish domestic season, if only in the sense that it confirmed Barcelona’s utter superiority over the rest, and was a good illustration of how to climb the slope of a season and reach the peak at the right time, even though they might not have quite planned it that way.
– Letting Dani Alves go would be a huge mistake
– Barça’s attack hits new heights but Luis Enrique is wary
– Messi stuns Bilbao as Barca win Copa del Rey and double
Athletic Bilbao, as ever, were all heart and sinew, but the gulf in class was evident for all to see, underlined in the end by Barcelona’s 74% possession over the game – the highest figure for any team in the cup final since the technology was invented in 2002 to record it.
It was also the first time in 35 years that the host team (the game was played in the Camp Nou) has won the match, the last time being when Real Madrid beat their ‘B’ team, Castilla, 6-1 in the final at the Bernabéu.
Saturday’s game was memorable for several things, chiefly Leo Messi’s first goal which will rank among the greatest of cup-final goals in any country. It will vie in the rankings for which one of Messi’s great goals was the greatest, when he’s retired and gone and people revert back to Playstation for football fantasy. At this moment in the game’s history, it isn’t necessary.
Messi toying with the competition. (Vine via SUPERGARCIA) https://t.co/X62TvKDzRl
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 30, 2015
The slalom goal, scored in the 20th minute, came at a time when Athletic’s promising early pressure and their tactic of man-marking Messi (via Mikel Balenziaga) was beginning to fade, but only slightly.
After the goal, the Basques rarely looked like staging a comeback. It knocked the stuffing out of them, demoralised them in a way that only invites shoulder-shrugging acceptance.
Messi, up to that point mildly annoyed by Balenziaga’s persistence, simply decided to solve the issue on his own. Neymar scored just before the break after a wonderful collective move, and it was game over.
Everything went right for Barcelona, but they played with such style and fluidity that the scoreline would have been embarrassing for Athletic had it not been for several good saves from Iago Herrerin.
Athletic’s midfield never really got into gear, and the best thing Mikel Rico did all night was to decide not to trip Messi up for the first goal. He could easily have done so, and spoiled one of the game’s great moments. History will thank him, but possibly not some of Athletic’s supporters.
Neymar Goal Against #AthleticBilbao #Barca #CopaDelRey #Final #FCB #Vine https://t.co/6LXGi0Ap3c
— Suraj Katwal (@suraj1kc) May 31, 2015
This is the third time since 2009 that the two sides have met in the final, and although Bilbao have failed on all three occasions, their mere presence is a testament to their unique ability to compete at this level, with a policy that severely restricts their pool of players.
Barcelona, meanwhile, march on. They may not be able to sign any more players until 2016, but maybe they don’t need to. Maybe the punishment meted out will help them to work better with what they have. Maybe Real Madrid would perversely benefit from the same set of circumstances.
Messi’s two goals and Neymar’s single strike mean that the ‘trident’ of forwards the team now possesses, abbreviated to MSN, has scored 120 goals this season, beating the previous record of 118 set by ‘RBH’ (Ronaldo, Benzema and Higuain). Messi has 58, Neymar 38 and Suárez 24, in all competitions. Just as well that Suárez didn’t start playing until November.
There is still one game left to swell the treasure chest, and if Xavi manages to get a game (and score) the Catalans’ season would be more than complete. Xavi came on for Andres Iniesta in the 55th minute, and set up the move that ended in the 3rd killer goal. A post denied him a goal on his final appearance at the Camp Nou, but at least he was able to take part.
Xavi goes close with a free-kick, which shaves the paint on Herrerín’s post. Few would have begrudged the wee man had that crept in.
— AS English (@English_AS) May 30, 2015
Barcelona have now won 27 cups in their history, followed by Athletic on 23. Real Madrid still lag in third place, on 19 – a testament to Bilbao’s position in Spanish football up to the Civil War. Proof of that particular pudding is the fact that Athletic have only won four of those 23 cups since the 1940s.
And talking of civil war, it would be churlish not to mention the absurd controversy surrounding this game, and the ‘pitada’ (booing and whistling) of the Spanish national anthem that was keenly anticipated by some, and feared by others to the extent that Javier Tebas, the League’s president, had muttered darkly about calling the game off if Spain’s new King, Felipe VI, was at all discomfited by the experience.
The game (so the rumours say) was not played in the Bernabéu for this very reason, so that if the match were to inevitably become a focus of Basque and Catalan discontent with central Spanish policy towards regional independence and autonomy, then at least let them light their flares in the Camp Nou, as it were – on their own territory.
Unfortunately for some, the competition is called ‘Copa del Rey’ (The King’s Cup) and Felipe, sworn in a year ago, had to be there.
Next to King Felipe, Artur Mas appeared to enjoy the whistling drowning out the Spanish anthem. #CopaDelRey @324cat pic.twitter.com/hNYNCQqYxx
— The Spain Report (@thespainreport) May 30, 2015
Despite the constant calls in the right-wing Spanish press for ‘respect’, the eventual ‘pitada’ reached historic decibel levels, such that the anthem was completely drowned out. Several companies in Bilbao who had sold custom cup final shirts threw in a free whistle to take to the game. It’s kind of funny, but many don’t see it that way. But the fact that people can boo a national anthem is surely a sign of democracy.
Too many on the right of Spain’s politics don’t see it that way – which is, of course, very much their problem. In the past, fascist thugs in Spain closed stadiums for similar reasons, and imprisoned the hecklers. Now they can’t do that, although there are many who will still try.
Whether you agree or not with booing and whistling the national anthem of the cup competition you have volunteered to play in, the fact is that the Spanish authorities would be better employed thinking about exactly why the anthem is booed. You can’t ask for ‘respect’ whilst at the same time denying these two regions the possibility of even voting in a referendum over their political futures.
What on earth did Tebas and company expect on Saturday night? Polite applause? As John McEnroe memorably once shouted –‘You cannot be serious!’
Now Barcelona have a chance to complete their second treble since 2009. Oddly enough, their opponents Juventus are also up for the same triple whammy of league, cup and Champions League. Juventus have won the big prize only twice, the last time in 1996 against Ajax. Given their history and longevity, it seems a poor return.
Nevertheless, despite Barcelona’s clear status as favourites, Juve’s ability to retain possession (if they want) or to counter-attack as they did in the semi-finals, will challenge Barcelona to keep their concentration for one last time this season, and not to get carried away by the current euphoria surrounding the team.
Real Madrid underestimated them, and by the time they realised, it was too late. Juve are nothing if not canny, and Luis Enrique, with two years’ experience in Italy, will not be taking them lightly.
They possess three players who Florentino Pérez is allegedly prepared to open his wallet for, namely Pogba, Morata and Vidal, with the latter particularly admired. He’s the kind of warrior that they’ve been lacking for some time. Whatever the result of the final, it may be an interesting summer in the transfer market.
