Down a man with top goal scorer
Luis Suarez on the sidelines with an apparent hamstring injury, Lionel Messi
led Barcelona to a 2-0 extra time victory in an eventful Copa Del Rey final
that featured three red cards, two Messi assists and one bizarre game stoppage
for the cramping match referee.
When the final whistle blew, Messi
stood out as the best player in the park. Argentine defender Javier Mascherano
took down Sevilla striker Kevin Gamerio in the 34th minute to
receive the fastest red card in the history of the Spanish Cup Final. However,
Messi and Iniesta offered special magical performances. Messi played a
perfectly timed pass for Neymar in stoppage time of regulation, and Banega put in
a fateful, last ditch tackle to stop the Brazilian from getting in a goal unmarked.
Barcelona and Sevilla were both
down to 10 men with 30 minutes of added time to come. Considering Gerard Pique
clean clearances in the back, Sergio Busquets tireless tackling in the middle
and Messi and Iniesta magical inspiration in the attack, Barcelona being back
level up put the Catalans in complete control from that point forward.
With the win, Messi and Barcelona
earned the club 28th Copa Del Rey crown to go with its 24th
La Liga title. The double salvaged a season that had started strong, peaked
with a 39 match unbeaten run and nearly collapsed over a three week period that
featured four defeats in five games.
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