Copa del Rey: Barcelona win trophy after beating Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the final of the Copa del Rey 2020-21. Being frustrated for an hour, Barca turned on the heat by getting their four goals in a space of 12 minutes. Lionel Messi contributed with two goals as he won his 35th trophy with the club. Athletic have now lost two successive Copa del Rey finals. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Antoine Griezmann gave Barcelona the lead by turning in Frenkie de Jong's cross before the latter scored a header three minutes later. Barca skipper Messi then drove from his own half, exchanged twice with De Jong and found the bottom corner. The football legend added his second four minutes later, sweeping in Jordi Alba's cross. This was an emphatic show by Barca.
Breaking down Messi's 35 trophies with Barcelona
Messi has won his seventh Copa del Rey honor. This is a record he shares with team-mates Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique. Here is a breakdown of Messi's 35 trophies with Barca. La Liga: 10 Spanish Super Cup: 8 Copa del Rey: 7 UEFA Champions League: 4 FIFA Club World Cup: 3 European Super Cup: 3
Contrasting results for Barca and Bilbao
Victory gives Barcelona their first trophy under manager Ronald Koeman. It's also their first silverware since 2019. For Athletic, this was a second Copa del Rey final defeat in two weeks after they lost to Real Sociedad in the delayed 2020 final on April 3.
Messi scores 30-plus goals for the 13th successive season
Messi has now scored 665 goals for Barcelona in 771 games across competitions. The Argentine has now scored 31 goals in 40 appearances this season. Messi scripted a record by scoring 30-plus goals in 13 successive seasons for the club. He has already equaled his tally of last season (31).
