Lionel Messi scored one and played a part in two others as Barcelona beat Alaves 3-1 to win their third Copa del Rey in succession.
The game was well poised heading into the closing stages of the first half, as Theo Hernandez superbly cancelled out Lionel Messi's opener.
Neymar and Paco Alcacer both found a way through in those pivotal minutes at the end of the opening 45, however, which ultimately proved to be enough to earn a comfortable win in Luis Enrique's final game in charge.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Copa del Rey final showdown between Barcelona and Alaves at the Vicente Calderon. This evening's clash in Madrid provides Luis Enrique with a chance to salvage what has otherwise been a disappointing campaign for his men, while at the same time bowing out on a high in what is his final game in charge of the club.
This is very much uncharted territory for their Basque opponents, however, as they have never previously made it this far and are seeking their first major domestic honour. If league points are anything to go by, then this will be a one-sided final won by record 28-time winners Barcelona, but things are never that simple and Alaves did beat the Catalan club earlier in the season.
There is no denying that Barca are the overwhelming favourites this afternoon, though, not just because of their form in the latter weeks of the season but also because of their pedigree – no other side has enjoyed more success in this competition than them. They have won it in the past two campaigns, too, so a hat-trick of triumphs would not be a bad way for Enrique to sign-off.
That said, this match may have come at the wrong time for Enrique's charges. They saw their title hopes finally put to an end by Real Madrid six days ago, ending what felt like a season-long pursuit of their great rivals, while former club president Sandro Rosell was arrested for money laundering earlier this week and the Spanish Supreme Court upheld Lionel Messi's 21-month jail sentence for tax fraud
There is, then, a slight risk of Barca taking their eye off the ball in this end-of-season fixture. The uncertainty will stretch into early next week, when Ernesto Valverde is expected to be named as Enrique's successor after formally stepping down as manager of Athletic Bilbao earlier this week. It continues the tradition of appointing someone who knows the club first-hand, having had a spell at Camp Nou during his playing days.
As for Enrique, well victory today will see him depart with eight major honours during his three-year spell in Catalonia, adding to the domestic treble and double from his previous two campaigns, as well as Super Cup and Club World Cup success in the past. This final term may have been disappointing but, as he rightly pointed out himself on Friday, he would happily have accepted a haul of that size had it been offered to him on day one.
Barca failed to make it past the quarter-final stage of the Champions League, which is as close as you can come to a disaster at one of the world's biggest clubs, while also missing out to Madrid on the title. They finished just short in La Liga, ending three points adrift of their rivals in a race that went right down to the final day, but it is hard to disagree that Los Blancos deserved their first crown in five years – they were the more consistent side over the nine months.
In the end Madrid's squad simply proved to be far superior, with Zinedine Zidane able to rotate heavily in the final run-in, rewarded with his fringe players stepping up to the plate on each occasion. Enrique, on the other hand, saw his side struggle when he decided to leave out a few key names. This is far from a bad crop of Barca players, with their 'MSN' strike trident as lively as ever, but there is no denying that further strengthening is required.
Barca had no problem finding the net, at least, setting a club record for goals scored last term with the four they racked up against Eibar on the final day. Throw the Paris Saint-Germain game into the mix, which will go down as 'the' greatest comeback in Champions League history – sorry, Liverpool – and a potential Copa del Rey crown come 10.30pm this evening, it is fair to say that even Barcelona's disastrous seasons do not work out all that badly.
Yet for all this, incoming boss Valverde still has plenty of work to do over the summer. First and foremost, the troublesome right-back position needs plugging as a priority, while further depth is required. Messi, Suarez and Neymar remain far too important to Barca, with the current group just lacking the aura that is required. Defeats to Celta Vigo, Deportivo La Coruna, Malaga and today's opponents Alaves, in the league alone, tells you all you need to know.
Luis Enrique's third and final campaign has undoubtedly been his toughest at Camp Nou, requiring victory in this final game to salvage the season. Should Barcelona prevail this evening, though, which they are overwhelming favourites to do so, then he will bow out with eight major honours to his name – including a domestic and European treble in his first term at the Camp Nou helm.
Barca rounded off their league campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Eibar at Camp Nou; a match that had an almost exhibition feel to it from the moment Ronaldo put Madrid 1-0 up at Malaga two minutes in. The Catalans required their rivals to lose at La Rosaleda, which was never going to happen from that point on. Eibar went two goals ahead before being pegged back, and from then on the hosts took matters into their own hands.
That win also maintained their impressive run of form, which saw them win seven in a row following their shock defeat to Malaga on April 8 – a result that led many Barca fans to concede that the title was out of their reach. That run also includes a memorable 3-2 triumph at the Bernabeu, with Lionel Messi famously inspiring his side to victory on a landmark night for him, stretching the title race to the wire in the process. In the end, it just was not to be.Â
Barca scored 28 and shipped nine in that seven-match winning run to conclude the season. Scoring has never been a problem, but keeping out opposition sides has – two more shipped to Eibar last weekend, when giving the opposition far too much time and space in and around the box, summed things up nicely. Matters were not helped by Marlon Santos being shoved into the backline for two games in the absence of Gerard Pique. Will he start tonight? Let us check out some confirmed team news from the Vicente Calderon...
TEAM NEWS!
BARCELONA XI: Cillessen; Mascherano, Umtiti, Pique, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Alcacer, Neymar
ALAVES XI: Pacheco; Femenia, Feddal, Vigaray, Ely, Hernandez; Llorente, M Garcia, Gomez, Mendez; Deyverson
Starting with a look at the Barcelona XI, Luis Enrique has made four changes from the final-day Liga win over Eibar six days ago. The big news is that Javier Mascherano is back in the starting ranks, filling in at right-back in place of the suspended Seri Roberto, while Paco Alcacer is given the nod to replace Luis Suarez up top - himself suspended after a red card picked up against Atletico in the last round.
Gerard Pique was always likely to be fit to start today's match, having missed a couple of weeks through illness - precautionary more than anything last weekend against Eibar, with one eye on tonight's match. Pique's return means that Marlon Santos's run in the side is over, as he drops down to the bench. The third and final change sees Jasper Cillessen, who admitted that he is tempted to leave, replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
I did say a little earlier that Valverde, if he does indeed take charge, must make signing a new right-back the top priority. Roberto has hardly set the world alight this term, and Barca - one of, if not the, biggest clubs in the world - are now forced to field Mascherano in that troublesome position in a season-defining game. Samuel Umtiti and Pique do at least add some real defensive strength, while we know all about Messi and Neymar in attack.
Switching attention to the underdogs, Mauricio Pellegrino has made a total of five changes to the rotated side that drew against Leganes last time out. Theo Hernandez is among those to come in, a player contracted to Atletico Madrid but likely - if rumours are to be believed - to be on his way to cross-city rivals Real in the coming weeks. Rodrigo Ely is also back, deputising alongside Zouhair Feddal in the heart of defence due to Victor Laguardia's absence.
Edgar Mendez, Manu Garcia and Deyverson also return to the starting ranks, the latter of whom topped the scoring charts for his side in the league this term with a tally of seven in 32. Edgar Mendez misses out on inclusion, as Alaves go with a possible 5-4-1 formation. Defensive? Yes. Effective? We'll see. This could be an awfully long night for them, but restricting their opponents is their best route to success.
BENCH WATCH!
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, D Suarez, Turan, Digne, Andre Gomes, Vidal, Marlon
ALAVES SUBS: Ortola, Alexis, D Torres, Camarasa, Romero, R Sobrino, Toquero
Ter Stegen again dropping out, then, with Cillessen preferred in cup competitions. With Luis Suarez missing, namesake Denis is one of a few attacking back-up options for the Catalans, along with Arda Turan and Andre Gomes. If things go to plan, Barca will be a couple of goals to the good by the hour mark and able to give some fringe players a run-out, but this is a cup final and anything can happen.
DID YOU KNOW? Barcelona were the designated home team for today's game due to the unwritten rule of being the older club - 1899 compared to 1921 for Alaves - but they have chosen to use the away dressing room. It is a more modest facility, although you can see their reasoning behind it as they have already won 2-1 here in both the league and cup. Why change a winning formula?
Alaves head into this match on the back of a stunning season that saw them finish ninth on their La Liga return. Thirty-six points was the deficit on Barca, highlighting the gulf between the two, yet ending in the top half - by quite some way - was a superb achievement in itself. The Babazorros were promoted back to the big time last summer following nine years away, in which time they even fell as far as the third tier.
They made their way back up and started their top-flight return in a very position manner, holding Atletico to a dramatic late draw here and also beating Barca in their third match, only seeing an unbeaten start ended at the fifth attempt by Valencia. They then faltered slightly but two losses in 12, and three in 16, saw them become top-half contenders where they managed to remain.
Alaves finished the season with a seven-match unbeaten run, collecting 15 points from a possible 21, and they were only two points off Espanyol in eighth. This is their first appearance in the final of the Copa del Rey, though, having previously reached the semis on a couple of occasions - most recently in 2003-04 when losing to eventual winners Real Zaragoza - so they are on the brink of making some personal history in what has been a memorable campaign.
They have only appeared in one major final before, in fact - the 2001 UEFA Cup when losing 5-4 to Liverpool after extra time in a real thriller. If they are to upset the odds tonight then they must keep things tight, unlike in that game against the Reds 16 years ago, which they did in the first half of their most recent meeting with Barca. Alaves boast the fifth-best defensive record in the country, conceding 43 all term in the league - two more than champions Madrid.
Scoring goals is a different matter entirely, though, as only four other La Liga times registered on fewer occasions than the Babazorros, netting at a rate of just over a goal-per-game. They beat Gimnastic and Deportivo La Coruna, before earning two-legged wins over Alcorcon and Celta Vigo - the latter a 1-0 win thanks to a late Edgar Mendez goal - to make it this far in the competition.
With kickoff at the Vicente Calderon now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Luis Enrique: "It's easy to focus on the good things; focusing on the bad wouldn't make sense. I'll focus on everything. It's been an enriching experience. I haven't had to change my modus operandi since I started at Barca B. I've had it easy here and at every team I've been at. When they sign you, it's to win trophies and to be loyal to the Barca style, and we have 100 per cent done that. We've been unpredictable and won titles. It's a positive path. Of course, I've been wrong many times. It's like the story of the donkey, the grandfather and the grandson. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who won't be happy."
Mauricio Pellegrino: "I want to win it for this club, these fans, these players, my family, for a lot of reasons. We are a difficult team to play against. I have a competitive group of players, who are very honest and play with the best of intentions. We look to do simple things in the best way and try to compete with the weapons we have. What we must do is focus on the aspects in which our team is stronger. They have a style we don't have but we have things that they don't have. Such high-level matches are decided by small details and I hope that will be the case in the final. If it is defined by that, then we will have competed very well."
Enrique believes that he has struck true to his word by playing 'The Barca Way' during his three years at the club, but it will leave a somewhat sour taste if he was to bow out on the back of a trophyless season. Opposite number Pellegrino talked about 'small margins' in his pre-match press conference, meanwhile, which sticks to the point raised earlier - they must keep things tight for as long as possible.
KICKOFF! Barcelona get us up and running in the Spanish capital. The Catalan club have won 12 and drawn two of the previous 18 encounters between these two sides, coming out on top 6-0 in the most recent encounter at Mendizorroza just over three months ago, but their opponents won 2-1 at Cap Nou earlier in the campaign.
Just to confirm, Alaves have indeed gone with five across the back - the same system used to beat Barcelona on their own soil in the opening weeks of the season. Much has changed since then, but a similar showing and we will have a major shock.
Messi with a fine ball through for Alcacer - seven goals in 27 for him, mainly from the bench - who nods it down towards Neymar. A little too much on it in the end, with the Brazilian unable to get a shot away.
Alaves nearly get a lucky break in the box but Iniesta is there first. A corner is won from the same attack, though, which is easily collected by Cillessen under his crossbar. Positive enough start made by the underdogs.
Great pass from Messi to pick out Alba at the back post, who in turn does all he can to nod the ball into a dangerous position. Neymar could not get on the end of it, with the ball trickling wide of the far post. Good move!
A real nasty one now, as Llorente and Mascherano clash heads when jumping for a high ball. The makeshift right-back appeared to be knocked unconscious and was unable to prevent himself landing awkwardly on his knee. His evening is, unfortunately, over.
BARCELONA SUB! Mascherano, with a nasty cut to his head, hobbles off the field in what could be his final Barcelona outing. Andre Gomes will now fill in at right-back, which is far from ideal for the Catalan club.
That injury has not helped with the flow of the game. Still awaiting the first real chance of the evening, as Alaves continue to stifle their more superior opponents. Fifteen minutes down, potentially 105 more to go!
YELLOW CARD! Edgar Mendez shown a yellow card for barging into Umtiti. The Alaves man stamped on his opponent on the way down, too, which I'm sure was not intentional but the referee had a call to make.
The opening 19 minutes of the match have passed by without Barca creating a clear goalscoring opportunity. They are picking up the ball in some promising positions, but this latest attack again breaks down before a shot is fired in on goal.
So nearly a quarter of the game gone and it is a case of so far, so good as far as Alaves are concerned. They are constantly hounding their opponents out, with the 28-time winners yet to get going at all.
PENALTY APPEAL! Messi wants a penalty after going down in the box, and replays show that Theo Hernandez did indeed clips his heels when defending a corner. The little maestro starting to grow into the game a little more.
Messi skips his way past a few bodies before being sent clattering to the ground. Advantage was played for a second or so but, after failing to get a shot on target, Barca felt that it should have been pulled back. It wasn't; cue signs of outrage.
Still awaiting the first attempt, and indeed the first clear-cut opening, of the match. No doubt that Barca have been in complete control of possession, but as things stand it is looking like it will be a frustrating evening for them.
OFF THE POST! The first big moment of the match, and it should have ended with Alaves taking the lead. Ibai Gomez made the most of some slack opposition play and got an attempt on target, which Ter Stegen should have done better with. The ball looked to creep under his body, hit the post and roll right across the line. So unlucky!
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-0 ALAVES (LIONEL MESSI)
The game has finally burst into life, with Fernando Pacheco doing well to keep out Iniesta's deflected shot from the edge of the box, but a minute or so later Messi brilliantly tucked home his 54th goal of the season. A quick one-two with Neymar to make some space, before bending it out of Pachecho's reach.
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-1 ALAVES (THEO HERNANDEZ)
Theo Hernandez, playing on his home ground tonight, has just curled home an unbelievable free kick. Moments after his side fell behind, the youngster - linked with Real Madrid - picked out the top corner from 22 yards out. Superb!
After a slow start to the match we have seen chances at either end and a couple of goals. Rather than feeling sorry for themselves, Alaves got forward to win a free kick, from which they now find themselves level.
No real change in the flow of the match following those two goals - Barca still completely dominating the ball, without asking enough questions of Pacheco. A corner was sent into the box by Neymar, which Deyverson got on the end of to clear.
YELLOW CARD! Manu Garcia, among those to return to Alaves's starting lineup tonight, is rightly booked for a nasty challenge on Iniesta. From the free kick, Messi's attempt was moving in the air but kept out by Pacheco.
SHOT! Ivan Rakitic not too far from netting his 10th goal of the season, dragging his shot narrowly wide of goal from the edge of the box. Samuel Umtiti the latest player to be booked, presumably for leading with his arm.
GOAL! BARCELONA 2-1 ALAVES (NEYMAR)
A third-successive Copa del Rey final goal for Neymar, at what is a crucial point in the match. A well-worked goal as far as the Catalans are concerned, as Messi slotted it through for Gomes, who in turn picked out Neymar for goal number 20 of the season at the back post.
GOAL! BARCELONA 3-1 ALAVES (PACO ALCACER)
Barcelona bag a quick-fire second to leave themselves on the brink of a third-successive Copa del Rey triumph. This was all about Messi, as he somehow wiggled his way out of danger and slotted the ball through for Alcacer, who tucked away brilliantly.
HALF TIME: BARCELONA 3-1 ALAVES
For a half that took 30 minutes before it got going, that did not turn out badly at all. Theo Hernandez cancelled out Lionel Messi's opener with a sublime free kick, only for Neymar and Paco Alcacer to net in quick succession at the very end to leave Alaves with an almighty task on their hands.
More than a quarter of the game had passed before the first real talking point arrived, with Alaves doing well to stifle their opponents until that point in proceedings. Much like at the Camp Nou in the opening weeks of the season, when picking up a shock 2-1 win, the Babazorros went with five along the back and were doing well to frustrate their opponents.
Barca, who lost makeshift right-back Javier Mascherano early on to a nasty clash of heads, managed to step things up and felt that they should have had a penalty when Lionel Messi appeared to be clipped by Theo Hernandez inside the box. Thirty minutes in it was Alaves's turn to threaten, cruelly denied after Ibai Gomez's shot crept under Jasper Cillessen but somehow hit the post and trickled right across the goal-line.
Moments later Barcelona were ahead through their leading marksman, as Messi exchanged passes with Neymar on the edge of the box and curled the ball out of Fernando Pacheco's reach for goal number 54 of another impressive campaign. Hernandez, playing on the ground of his parent club, did not take long to get his side back on level terms when picking out the top corner of Ter Stegen's net with a sublime free kick.
Two quick-fire goals at the end of the first half swung the game in the Catalan club's favour, though, with Neymar tapping in from a Andre Gomes cross for his third-successive Copa final goal, before Paco Alcacer - in for the suspended Luis Suarez - slotted past Pacheco following some fine individual work from Messi to pick him out. Could we see Pellegrino turn to his bench at the break? Here is a reminder of both sides' options...
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, D Suarez, Turan, Digne, Andre Gomes, Vidal, Marlon
ALAVES SUBS: Ortola, Alexis, D Torres, Camarasa, Romero, R Sobrino, Toquero
RESTART! Alaves, requiring something close to a miracle, get us back under way at the Vicente Calderon - the last match to be played at this ground. Barcelona will want a fourth to make sure of the win for good.
Not the worst attempt from Ibai, who sends his free kick narrowly over the bar from 22 yards. An Alaves goal really would make things interested, but to do so they need to put together some more sustained attacking moves.
YELLOW CARD! Messi fortunate to avoid seeing a yellow card for catching Garcia, while Andre Gomes also caught his opponents late. Rodrigo Ely less fortunate, becoming the latest player to be booked for leading with his arms.
SAVE! Nice play from Barcelona, with the ball being sent into the back-post area where Alcacer was waiting. The forward did what he had to, getting his first-time attempt on target, but Pacheco produced a fine stop.
You get the impression that it is just a matter of time before Barcelona add a fourth and possibly fifth. While it remains at 3-1 it is still all to play for, though, so Alaves will not give up hope of a comeback just yet.
Superb football from Barca to play their way out of trouble. They are really hitting their groove now but, as mentioned a few moments ago, they are not over the line just yet with two goals in it. Pellegrino might be thinking of making a change shortly.
Pellegrino is indeed ready to make a change, with Camarasa the man about to be introduced. Gomes with a good cross into the box from the right, but Alcacer cannot quite direct it on target. Gomes has had a very good game since replacing Mascherano.
ALAVES SUBS! Camarasa and Ruben Sobrino come on in place of Edgar Mendez and Ibai Gomes, as Pellegrino makes a double change. Now or never for Alaves, who require a goal in the next 20 minutes to make things interesting.
The ball just would not fall for Neymar, who had men over if he could just get things under control. Barca threatening to score without actually doing so, being made to settle for just a two-goal lead with less than half-hour to go.
Still no sign of Enrique making any further changes, having been forced into his first of the evening due to that nasty clash of heads involving Mascherano. A real disappointment if this is indeed going to be his final appearance for the club.
Iniesta drifts towards the box with the ball at his feet - always a dangerous sign for the opposition. The Spaniard's shot had a little too much on it, however, ending over Pacheco's bar, ensuring that Alaves remain within two goals of their opponents.
Heading towards the final 20 minutes of the match now and there is no real sign of a fifth goal of the evening. A goal for Alaves will liven things up, but they just cannot seem to get any sort of foothold on the match.
BLOCK! Much better from Alaves, as they come close to pulling one back. Deyverson's knockdown was met by Ruben Sobrino, whose shot was blocked in front of goal. A cross towards the back post was then just about dealt with by Barca.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Deyverson thought he had given his side the lifeline they needed, but his celebrations were cut short by the offside flag. All of a sudden it is the Babazorros who are the side on top in Madrid.
Full credit to Pellegrino's men - they have looked very bright in the last five minutes or so and were very unfortunate not to pull one back. That fourth goal of the night for Barca is continuing to evade them in Madrid.
YELLOW CARDS! Ruben Sobrino clatters into Neymar, forcing the Brazilian to the ground. So very little in it, but the Barca players are unhappy and are quickly around the ref. At the end of it all, Sobrino, Messi and Iniesta were cautioned.
Alaves's chance to pull themselves back into the match has surely now been and gone. They enjoyed a strong spell a little earlier in the half, but having failed to find the net - legally, at least - they are now fast running out of time.
BARCELONA SUB! Aleix Vidal is now on for Ivan Rakitic for the final 10 minutes. This is his first outing since the 6-0 win over Alaves back in early February, having suffered a real nasty leg injury in that match.
No real sign of the scoreline changing. It has been a real disappointing second half on the whole, with very little action in front of either goal. Barca have surely already done enough to get themselves over the line.
YELLOW CARD! Barcelona within six minutes of a 29th success in the Copa del Rey, and it will also be a good way for Enrique to bow out - his ninth major honour in three years at Camp Nou. Deyverson the latest player cautioned after catching Iniesta in the face.
Alaves continue to probe away, knocking the ball around on the edge of their opponents' box to no real avail. No shame in losing to Barcelona, but they will be disappointed to have thrown it away by switching off late in the first half.
Barca just have not been at full flow in attack in this second half. They have had a couple of chances to kill the game off, but the final ball has often been lacking. Two minutes of normal time plus, presumably, three or four added on.
Three minutes have been added on at the Vicente Calderon. Baring a miracle similar to the one that saw Barca beat PSG in the Champions League earlier this year, the Babazorros's first ever appearance at this stage will end in defeat.
Disappointing for Barca, as the ball is worked to Busquets who should be taking the shot on from seven yards out. Instead he attempt to square it to Neymar - a fairly simple pass - but gets is horribly wrong and the latest chance comes and goes.
FULL TIME: BARCELONA 3-1 ALAVES
The full-time whistle is blown at the Vicente Calderon, bringing down the curtain not only on this game but also on this impressive venue. Barcelona are the side celebrating, earning a 3-1 win thanks in large to the brilliance of Lionel Messi - one goal for him and a key role in the other two. Alaves can hold their heads high, but in the end they just could not do enough.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Spanish capital. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while a look at the other cup final results from across the continent can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!
