Three swift goals in the opening half saw the
Catalan powerhouse win the competition for the 26th time in the
club's history and brought Pep Guardiola's time at Camp Nou to an emotional
end.
Pedro put Barcelona ahead early on in the
match, the Culé fans present cheering loudly in the Vicente Calderón. Messi gave Athletic Bilbao's defense a run
for their money and poised to strike.
However, his shot went narrowly wide.
Adriano was on the rebound and crossed for Pedro, whose shot was
deflected for a corner. Barça opted to
swing the delivery in. The ball fell to
Pedro, who reacted quickly and drew first blood in the match.
Bilbao sought to retain possession in the hopes
of pressuring Barcelona. In spite of
their efforts, the Blaugranas remained cool, the Basques hardly posing a
threat.
Barcelona continued to capitalize on the gaps
in Bilbao's defense, Messi cutting from the inside before trying again for
goal. Bilbao's Iraizoz's denied the
Argentine of his goal. However, Messi
would not be denied again, finally
getting his goal at the 20' minute mark.
Pedro would bag his second of the evening,
Barça's third, minutes later at the 25' when he finished a pass from Xavi. This goal seemed to wake the Basque side up,
perhaps from realizing they were behind 3-0.
Though this seemed to come a bit too late. In spite of their efforts – some dangerous efforts – luck was not on
their side.
This win would be Guardiola's 14th
title in the four years he served as Blaugrana coach, making him the most
successful coach in the clubs history.
Congratulations, men.
Congratulations, Pep.
written by Gail Hidalgo
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