Barcelona held their nerve to edge out Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final at the Vicente Calderón on Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENTBarcelona held their nerve to edge out Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final at the Vicente Calderón on Sunday.
After a relatively slow start to the game, Unai Emery’s men stepped it up a gear towards the end of an edgy first half which saw Javier Mascherano losing his composure in the 36th minute.
The experienced defender was shown a straight red for a foul on Kevin Gameiro, leaving the Blaugranas a man down.
Luis Enrique’s men, who were dealt another blow when their star striker Luis Suarez hobbled off just after the interval, stayed solid in defense and eventually prevailed thanks to Jordi Alba and Neymar in extra time.
Sevilla, who beat Liverpool in the Europa League final on Wednesday, had also been reduced to 10-men after Ever Banega was sent off in injury time.
This was Barcelona’s 28th Copa del Rey triumph.
Congratulations to FC BARCELONA for the their magnificent 15/16 season.#CopaDelRey#CampionsFCB#FCBSEV#fcblivepic.twitter.com/gpinW7zi9C
— FC Barça inside (@FCBarca_inside) 22 May 2016