Sevilla 0-5 Barcelona: 3 things that Barcelona did right
FC Barcelona romped their way to the Copa del Rey trophy with a 5-0 win over Sevilla. It was Barcelona's fourth consecutive cup win and 30th overall victory in the competition. They were back to their slick best in this one and played as if to avenge the disappointment of the AS Roma upset.
Luis Suarez opened the scoring after a brilliant goal kick by Jasper Cillessen. Lionel Messi doubled Barcelona's advantage and assisted the third for Suarez to make it 3-0 before the break. Andres Iniesta made it four in what could be his last ever final with the club. Philippe Coutinho scored the final goal of the match, slotting it home from the penalty spot.
All in all, it was an inch-perfect outing for Messi and co. In this piece, we will analyze the Copa del Rey final from Barcelona's point of view and discuss the three major things that the Catalans did right in their 5-0 win over Sevilla:
#3 Killing the game in the first half
Sevilla were not in good form coming into this one. The last win for Vincenzo Montella's side came a month ago against Manchester United. Barcelona needed a fine start to put up the pressure on Sevilla with an early goal being the demand of the hour.
Luis Suarez provided exactly that after some great work by Jasper Cillessen and Philippe Coutinho. The goal removed the sting from Sevilla's press and from that moment, it was all one-way traffic for Ernesto Valverde's men. Iniesta and Alba combined brilliantly on the left flank to assist Lionel Messi for the second blow to Sevilla.
A 2-0 scoreline still gave some hope to Sevilla which was soon eradicated by a stunning through ball from Messi. Luis Suarez was through on goal, scoring his second and Barcelona's third. With that goal, Barcelona ended Sevilla's hopes of toppling the Catalans as they effectively won the final in the first 45 minutes itself.