MADRID, (Reuters) – Lionel Messi and Neymar showed their class as Barcelona beat a determined Alaves side 3-1 in the King’s Cup final yesterday to win the competition for the third year in a row and bid farewell to coach Luis Enrique on a high.
Messi curled in the opener in the 30th minute from outside the area following clever link up play with Neymar after Alaves, who were playing in their first domestic final, had struck the inside of the post.
The Basque side drew level three minutes later when Theo Hernandez fizzed a spectacular free kick into the top corner although Neymar restored Barca’s lead a minute before halftime, bundling in Andre Gomes’s pass from close range after starting the move with a dazzling run down the left.
Paco Alcacer further stretched the Catalans’ lead two minutes later killing off Alaves’ hopes of a first trophy in their 96-year history and delivering Barca’s 29th King’s Cup, the ninth trophy of Luis Enrique’s three-year tenure.
Barca were searching for one piece of silverware to end a disappointing campaign after surrendering the Liga title to Real Madrid and exiting the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Juventus and were without prolific striker Luis Suarez and defender Sergi Roberto through suspension.
They suffered an early setback when Javier Mascherano was carried off on a stretcher following a head on collision with Alaves midfielder Marcos Llorente, who had to sport a bandage on his head for the rest of the game.
Alaves brought an extra 2,000 fans to the Vicente Calderon than their illustrious opponents and were dreaming of a repeat of their shock league win at the Nou Camp earlier in the season, although this time Barca were fielding a far stronger starting line-up.
Alaves nearly took a surprise lead when Gerard Pique gave the ball away to Ibai Gomez, who fired under Jasper Cillessen and off the inside of the near post, watching the ball trickle just beyond the far post.
Messi’s brilliant strike, his fifth goal in seven King’s Cup finals, did not crush Alaves and they quickly drew level with the thunderbolt free kick from Theo, a loan signing from Atletico Madrid who is expected to join champions Real Madrid in the summer.
But Messi and Neymar had not finished yet. The Argentine fed substitute Gomes who teed up Nemyar and barely two minutes later Messi went on another rampaging run through the middle to play in Alcacer and ensure there was no way back for Alaves.
