Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club: Messi hits brace as Laporta era starts with a bang
The Argentine was at his best as Barcelona dispatched a pathetic Athletic at La Cartuja
If last weekend was miserable, this was a triumph. The Clasico is in the rearview and La Liga’s run in lies on the road ahead, after this refreshing pit-stop in Seville.
Barcelona picked up a record 31st Copa de Rey, their first trophy since winning La Liga in 2019, and it helped president Joan Laporta kickstart his new era.
Barcelona dominated the game but could not find a breakthrough until the 60th minute.
Antoine Griezmann, who missed a huge chance, broke the deadlock from Frenkie de Jong’s low cross.
De Jong, who was sublime, grabbed the second from Jordi Alba’s inviting ball from the left.
Lionel Messi scored the third and the best of the night, a remarkable goal which saw him trade passes with De Jong, move untraceably
in the box and finish with aplomb.
The fourth - and Messi’s second - was good too, even if Unai Simon, who made very good saves from Griezmann and Sergio Busquets, might have done better.
“It’s very special to be captain of this club, where I’ve spent half my life,” said Messi. “It’s a very special cup for me to be able to lift. It’s a pity we can’t celebrate with our fans.
“It was a hard year for us and to be able to celebrate this and try and win La Liga is very important. It’s a transition year, with a lot of young players, the team has become stronger.”
It was a miserable night for Athletic, who offered nothing, just as they did in their defeat by Real Sociedad in the delayed 2020 Copa final a fortnight ago.
Laporta grinned from the director’s box, while Ronald Koeman celebrated with Gerard Pique. Nobody was unhappy and it’s been a while since you can say that about Barcelona.
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