XAVI! How close was that?! The Barcelona captain nearly signs off in his domestic career with the Blaugrana with a typically precise free kick, but his attempt unluckily bounces off the top of the bar!
88'
Neymar gets yellow.
The second half performance from Barcelona has been highly professional. No excess energy has been expelled and they have made Athletic do all the running in the central areas. They should be in good shape to take on Juve next week.
87'
Iturraspe gets yellow.
86'
It is all kicking off at Camp Nou now and Neymar is involved again! The former Santos man shows off incredible skill to flick up and loop the ball over the Athletic defender, only to go down rather easily. The players in red and whit are incensed at the Barca man's perceived lack of respect, and surround him ominously! The referee eventually defuses after a few minutes of shoving.
84'
Neymar has come under some pretty rough treatment tonight and the latest poor tackle on him comes from Bustinza, who takes the Brazilian out from behind. Definite signs of frustration coming from the Athletic players now!
82'
Just under 10 minutes remaining in the Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona and a goal from the Basque outfit right about now would certainly ensure an exciting climax. A lot to ask, though!
79'
I. Williams has scored a goal for Athletic Bilbao! Assist by Ibai Gómez.
GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLL FOR ATHLETIC BILBAO! The Basque side claw a goal back! Ibai pops up down the left wing and swings an excellent cross into the box for Williams, who out-jumps Pique to glance a lovely header into the bottom corner! Three-one!
78'
Pedro enters the game and replaces L. Suárez.
77'
J. Mathieu enters the game and replaces Jordi Alba.
Barcelona follow suit not long after and make their third and final change, and it will see Suarez, who is not long back from injury, replaced by Pedro for the last 13 minutes of normal time. The World Cup winner has 11 goals this season, which is pretty impressive considering he hardly gets much game time any more.
75'
Ibai Gómez enters the game and replaces Beñat.
Athletic react quickly to going further behind and make their last two changes. Ibai Gomez and Ander Iturraspe are coming on and they'll replace Mikel Rico and Benat in midfield. Highly unlikely the alterations will bear any significance on this final result.
Minute
Description
74'
Iturraspe enters the game and replaces Mikel Rico.
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Dani Alves.
GOOOAAAALLLL! GOOOAAAALL! GOOOAAALL FOR BARCELONA! THAT SHOULD SEAL THE SPANISH CUP! Dani Alves exchanges a lovely one-two with Rakitic down the right and then drives forward before reversing a cross into the box. The entire Athletic defence stands still and Messi takes advantage to dash in and finish into the corner! Three-nil!
71'
I mentioned previously that Barcelona may have one eye on next week as the game goes on, and it appears that has already started to creep in. The quality of their play has not dropped by any means, but more the tempo of their movement and passing. Attacking trio have been quiet in the second half by their standards.
69'
Athletic's vital final cross, shot, or pass has been their undoing tonight as the quality has not really been there to hurt Barca. Williams was extremely unlucky with that volley off the bar in the first half, but apart from that Ter Stegen has been pretty comfortable in between the sticks.
67'
I. Williams gets yellow.
Aduriz takes the ball down with an excellent touch up top and swiftly turns before looking to release Susaeta down the right channel, but the pass is struck far too strongly and, despite the substitute's best attempts to recover the attack, Barca are gifted a goal kick.
65'
One thing that Athletic can perhaps take confidence from is that fact that Barcelona may indeed take their foot off the gas as the match goes on due to the fact that they have the Champions League final next week against Juventus. Nobody will want to over exert themselves and get injured, so Valverde's men can maybe take advantage.
63'
The rivalry between these two sets of fans is there for all to see and it is making for a fantastic atmosphere. Usually in Spanish league games the allocation for away fans is so small we don't get noise like this, but the travelling Basque supporters are certainly making their voices heard.
61'
Athletic have acquitted themselves slightly better in the opening 15 minutes of this second half. It looks like a set-piece may be their best bet of finding their opening goal as Barca, who are usually impressive at defending corners and free kicks, have had trouble clearing their lines in these situations tonight.
59'
There was no sentiment in place for either of those substitutions as Xavi coming on was roundly booed by the Athletic fans and Iraola coming off was roundly booed by the Barca fans. Two legends of their respective clubs, and they are sure to be missed.
58'
Balenziaga gets yellow.
Susaeta enters the game and replaces Andoni Iraola.
57'
That Xavi substitution is subsequently followed by another bit of history - this time for Athletic Bilbao. Iraola is coming off in what is his last ever appearance for the Basque side after agreeing a move to join Major League Soccer. He'll be replaced by Markel Susaeta in what is a positive change from Ernesto Valverde.
56'
Xavi enters the game and replaces Andrés Iniesta.
55'
A moment of history now as we will see Xavi's last ever appearance in a Barcelona shirt at Camp Nou. The club captain is the first substitute of the match and he'll come into central midfield in place of Iniesta, who gives his usual partner in crime a pat on the back as he trudges off.
53'
Much better from Athletic at the moment. A game of head-tennis ensues in the Barcelona box and the ball eventually falls to Iraola, who attempts a half-volley towards the top corner. The strike takes a deflection on its way through though and the Catalan side concede the corner kick.
51'
Barcelona counterattack at pace with the attacking trident of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar all involved. The Argentine leads the charge and receives the ball on the edge of the box, but Athletic get back in numbers and eventually manage to smuggle possession away from danger.
49'
Benat whips a corner kick into the box and San Jose gets in front of Dani Alves, but does so with a rather high boot. The Brazilian takes a sore one to the head and takes a few moments to compose himself on the deck, as Barca are awarded a free kick. The former Sevilla man's fetching new hairdo remains intact also.
47'
Williams collects possession on the halfway line and displays some impressive strength on the ball before earning a foul out of Busquets. The 20-year-old has been a rare shining light for Athletic in this match - they just need to get the ball to him more often.
46'
The Copa del Rey final is back under way! Is Barcelona's name on the trophy already?
43'
Andoni Iraola gets yellow.
SAVE FROM HERRERIN! Messi steps up to take the free kick from the Iraola foul and swings the set-piece towards the top corner. It looks in all the way but the Athletic goalkeeper once again sees his stock rise with an excellent stop to tip over the bar!
42'
Piqué gets yellow.
A couple of yellow cards in quick succession here as Pique is penalised for a late slide tackle on Aduriz right in front of the dugout and Iraola goes into the book a minute or so later for a challenge on Suarez.
40'
SO UNLUCKY WILLIAMS! Benat finds space down the right flank and cleverly dinks a lovely pass in behind the Barcelona defence for the 20-year-old, who spectacularly fires a superb volley towards goal, but his attempt cannons off the top of the bar! That would have rivalled Messi's goal had it went in!
38'
Unfortunately for Athletic Blbao, this just seems to be one of those nights when Barcelona just seem incredibly up for the game. The passing from the Camp Nou side has just been scintillating, and the Basque side now find themselves two goals down despite not playing particularly badly.
36'
Neymar has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Suárez.
GOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL FOR BARCELONA! ANOTHER MASTERCLASS FROM LOS CULES! Rakitic exchanges a neat one-two with Messi before threading a pass through to Suarez. The Uruguayan unselfishly picks out Neymar at the back post who slides into the empty net! Brilliant build-up! Two-nil!
34'
Perhaps ominously, Athletic are already showing slight signs of fatigue and it has no doubt stemmed from their brave tactic of pressing Barcelona right from the kick off. Their intensity has dropped now which means they have subsequently moved deeper and deeper.
32'
Barcelona have took a real foothold of this game after going ahead through that ludicrously good goal from Messi. Not that it wasn't already, but you can see the confidence is flowing through the veins of each player. Athletic are going to have to do something, anything, to curb the ascendancy of the Blaugrana.
30'
Alba goes on a marauding run down the left wing and makes his way to the byline before driving a teasing cross into the box. It flashes along the penalty area only a few yards from goal but Suarez just can't manage to stretch a foot out to turn a strike into the net!
28'
Neymar and Iraola have got into a few spats so far and the latest comes as the right-back turned right winger goes in late on the Brazilian near the touchline. There wasn't too much in it to be fair and the referee quickly comes in to intervene and ensure the situation doesn't exacerbate.
26'
AND AGAIN A SAVE FROM HERRERIN! A high cross is floated into the box and Pique gets beyond the Athletic defence to direct a strike towards goal, but the keeper's positioning is spot on which allows him to tip over the crossbar! He is certainly going to be a busy man tonight!
24'
BIG SAVE FROM HERRERIN! This time Suarez escapes the offside trap down the right wing and glides ahead before attempting to find Neymar with a lashed cross along the box! The Brazilian very nearly turns a strike towards goal but the Athletic keeper proactively comes off his line to clear! Great goalkeeping there!
22'
There really are no more superlatives to describe the man that is Lionel Messi. There is no other player in the world that could have scored that goal, and it is an important one too as it has gave Barcelona the lead in the Copa del Rey final!
20'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Dani Alves.
WHAT A GOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLL FROM LIONEL MESSI!!! SENSATIONAL!! The Argentine picks up the ball down the right-hand side and finds himself surrounded by three opponents, only to escape with a clever nutmeg! He continues to drive forward into the box and finishes his dribble off with an emphatic finish into the bottom right corner! GENIUS! One-nil!
19'
Laporte is a lucky, lucky man! The Athletic defender goes down very softly at the back under the challenge of Suarez which gifts the Uruguayan a route to goal! The former Liverpool striker drives forward but the referee lets the former off the hook by blowing for a foul!
17'
Messi pops up down the right flank and collects possession before teasing Balenziaga with a series of lightning quick touches of the ball. The Argentine, uncharacteristically, takes one touch too many though which allows the left-back to sneak in and tackle and subsequently earn a throw in.
15'
Busquets receives the ball to feet in the centre of midfield and finds himself under intense pressure once again, this time from the hard working Aduriz. The former Valencia striker hustles and harries, but the Barca man typically remains calm and eventually finds Alba with a precise pass to the left wing.
13'
Athletic have somehow managed to come out of that couple of minutes of extreme Barcelona pressure unscathed! There was some desperate defending going on from the Basque side, but they can take confidence from the fact they shut out the opponents bravely. They'll need to keep it up you would think!
11'
Barcelona are camped in the opposition penalty area at the moment and are peppering the Athletic goal with a series of shots! The pick of the bunch comes from Suarez, who breaks away to the right before smashing a strike towards the bottom corner, but he is thwarted by the right leg of the keeper, Herrerin!
10'
GOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL FOR BARCELONA! WAIT! NO! OFFSIDE! Messi cuts in from the right wing and typically looks for the run at the back post from Neymar. The pass from the Argentine is perfection and his South American compatriot brilliantly volleys into the corner, but the play is brought back as the linesman raises his flag! It looked like he was onside there!
8'
It has been an extremely high tempo opening few minutes here at Camp Nou as Barcelona dictate possession in the early stages, but at the same time they find themselves constantly hounded by the Athletic midfield, whose pressing has been of an increased intensity up until this point. How long can they keep up this work rate, though?
6'
Mascherano strides forward from his position at centre back and makes his way into midfield before attempting to find Neymar with an ambitious diagonal pass. The former Santos attacker attempts to get on the end of it but there was just too much pace on the pass, which gifts Athletic a throw in deep in their own half.
4'
It is a predictably fantastic atmosphere in Camp Nou at the moment as the Basque supporters and the Catalan supporters both attempt to get behind their teams with gusto. Whenever Barcelona have possession they are greeted with a chorus of boos from the 50,000 strong Athletic fans. They won't be used to that on home turf!
2'
Neymar collects the ball down the left touchline but is forced inside by rookie Athletic right-back, Bustinza. The Brazilian eventually finds himself surrounded by plenty of red and white shirts, but squeezes out of the predicament and manages to find Mascherano with a pass.
1'
We are under way at Camp Nou! Who will be crowned Copa del Rey champions?!
Good evening folks! Welcome to LIVE coverage of the Spanish Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona from Camp Nou!
I'm Martin Macdonald, and I'll be taking you through the action!
Barcelona's pursuit of a historic treble continues today as they attempt to win the Spanish Cup after successfully winning the Spanish Primera Division with a victory over Atletico Madrid a couple of weeks ago. If the domestic cup can be lifted after this clash, then only Juventus in the Champions League final stand in Los Cules' way of claiming the aforementioned three titles.
There has been somewhat of an ongoing feud between the two La Liga sides in this competition historically. In recent years they have faced each other in 2009 and 2012, with Barcelona running out victorious on both occasions with a 4-1 and 3-0 win respectively. Revenge will certainly be on the cards for Los Leones.
Both Athletic and Barca saw off Spanish Primera Division top 10 sides in the semi-final stage a few weeks ago. Ernesto Valverde's outfit successfully overcame Espanyol 3-1 over two legs and the Blaugrana made their way to the final thanks to a comprehensive 7-2 aggregate win over Villarreal.
The pair have already faced each other twice in the league this season, with Barcelona prevailing in both fixtures. An impressive 5-2 away win at San Mames was preceded by a comfortable 2-0 home victory at Camp Nou in September, with Neymar scoring against his opponents today twice over those two matches.
TEAM NEWS...
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
A massive nine changes from Barcelona from their previous match, which was a 2-2 draw at home to Deportivo. Masip, Adriano, Mathieu, Vermaelen, Bartra, Xavi, Rafinha, Pedro, and Sergi Roberto are withdrawn, and coming into the starting XI is Ter Stegen, Alba, Dani Alves, Pique, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Mascherano, and Suarez. Looks like a full strength side for the Blaugrana!
Tonight's focus is on the Spanish Cup, however, and Luis Enrique's men have the odd honour of featuring as the away side at Camp Nou despite it being their home ground. The draw has worked out in such a way that Athletic are officially the home side in this fixture, and are expected to take in excess of 50,000 fans down to Catalunya from the Basque country. The Catalan side better hope they didn't make the away dressing room too cold!
Tonight's match actually sees the two most successful sides in the history of the Copa del Rey go head-to-head. Barcelona have won the competition more times than any other team, with 26 triumphs. However, Athletic are not far behind and have won the Spanish Cup 23 times, but their last victory in the final was as far back as 1984, also against Barca.
Athletic Bilbao (4-2-3-1): Herrerin; Bustinza, Etxeita, Laporte, Balenziaga; San Jose, Rico; Iraola, Benat, Williams; Aduriz.
Athletic did not have the luxury of being able to make such changes in the last game of the season a week ago, so it is only two alterations for them. De Marcos, who is injured, and Aketxe miss out and coming into the starting line-up is Bustinza and Mikel Rico.
The teams have took to the field and we are almost ready for kick off!
Half time in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona head into the break with a relatively comfortable 2-0 lead thanks to a goal right out of the top drawer from Messi and a tapped finish from Neymar after some scintillating build-up play. Luis Enrique's men have been in quite the mood tonight and are oozing confidence in every position. Athletic have carried a slight threat through Williams, but have a lot of work to do to save this game. You do not want to miss a second of the next 45 minutes!
FULL TIME AT CAMP NOU! BARCELONA WIN THE COPA DEL REY!
Barcelona win their 27th Spanish Cup in a relatively comfortable 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the first period with a goal of the very highest order and subsequent strikes from Neymar and another from the Argentine was enough to cancel out Inaki William's consolation. The second part of Barcelona's treble has been claimed. The Champions League is up next! I'm Martin Macdonald, thanks for joining us, see you next time!
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