Barcelona won their fourth successive Copa del Rey with a merciless 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla, as departing hero Andres Iniesta joined the usual suspects on the scoresheet.
Luis Suarez netted twice in the first half, Lionel Messi grabbed his 40th of the season and Philippe Coutinho marked his first final for the club with a successful penalty but it was a rare strike from Iniesta which drew the broadest smiles in a one-sided romp at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The Spanish great is expected to depart for China at the end of the campaign and he showed characteristic timing by popping up with a delicate effort before being afforded an emotional tribute from the Barca faithful.
Tweet of the match
Iniesta off. He’s in tears. Applause from absolutely everybody in the stadium. Goosebumps.
— AS English (@English_AS) April 21, 2018
Star man
CHAMPIOOOOOOOOOOOOONSSSS!!!?? #Copa30 pic.twitter.com/GI91a4EQR7
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 21, 2018
Who else but Andres Iniesta? Of course he was majestic, he rarely dips below that level, but the context of his impending departure meant this was his stage despite the rest of Barca’s attacking brilliance. Every touch was savoured, his departure united everyone in the stadium in appreciation and the fact he marked the occasion with his second goal of the season was entirely fitting.
Stat of the day
? What a start!?? #CopaBarça pic.twitter.com/mqcllnQgac
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 21, 2018
Suarez’s brace took his Barcelona tally to 150 goals in just 193 games – a towering achievement for the former Liverpool forward.
All change
Here is our Copa del Rey Final starting eleven #vamosmisevilla #CopaDelRey2018 pic.twitter.com/KmPqnk88S2
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) April 21, 2018
Just two of Sevilla’s starting XI who also started when the same two teams contested the 2016 Copa del Rey final. Sergio Escudero and Ever Banega are the stalwart pairing to survive a period of much change at the club, with Sergio Rico on the bench having started the earlier fixture.
Ratings
Sevilla: David Soria 4, Jesus Navas 6, Gabriel Mercado 4, Clement Lenglet 4, Sergio Escudero 4, Ever Banega 5, Steven Nzonzi 5, Pablo Sarabia 5, Franco Vazquez 4, Joaquin Correa 4, Luis Muriel 4. Substitutes: Sandro Ramirez (for Correa) 5, Miguel Layun (for Sarabia) 5, Nolito (for Vazquez), 5.
Barcelona: Jesper Cillesen 8, Sergi Roberto 7, Gerard Pique 7, Samuel Umtiti 8, Sergio Busquets 7, Ivan Rakitic 7, Andres Iniesta 9, Philippe Coutinho 8, Lionel Messi 9, Luis Suarez 9. Substitutes: Paulinho (for Busquets) 7, Ousmane Dembele (for Coutinho) 5, Denis Suarez (for Iniesta) 5.
Who’s up next?
Deportivo v Barcelona (La Liga, April 29)
Levante v Sevilla (La Liga, April 27)
