Messi magic as FC Barcelona beat Deportivo Alaves to retain Copa del Rey - 3rd in 3 Years

FC Barcelona’s Copa del Rey triumph -- beating Deportivo Alaves -- means coach Luis Enrique could bow out after three seasons in charge with nine trophies against his name.

A Lionel Messi masterclass salvaged some silverware to end FC Barcelona’s season and gave coach Luis Enrique a victorious send-off as the Catalans retained the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 win over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring for FC Barcelona then helped tee up Neymar and Paco Alcacer to lead Barca to a record 29th Cup triumph after Theo Hernandez’s brilliant free-kick had briefly brought Deportivo Alaves level.

Victory means Enrique bows out after three seasons in charge with nine trophies to his name, including the Cup in every year of his reign.

However, once again it was Messi who inspired Barca to bounceback from the disappointment of losing their La Liga title to Real Madrid last weekend with a stunning individual display.

“He is the number one as he shows in his performances and it has been a true pleasure.”

Alaves boss Mauricio Pellegrino was equally in awe of the five-time World Player of the Year.

“He is an out of the ordinary player,” said Pellegrino.

“He has the ability to create goals as well as score them with the precision of his passing.”

Barca were without the suspended Luis Suarez and Sergi Roberto and Enrique was forced into another reshuffle just 11 minutes in as Javier Mascherano was forced off with a head injury.

Yet, while Barca’s depth has been much-criticised this season, Andre Gomes deputised ably at right-back after replacing Mascherano and Alcacer took his chance on a rare start on the big stage in Suarez’s absence.

In stark contrast to Barca’s glorious run of six finals in seven years, Alaves were appearing in Spanish football’s showpiece for the first time.

The Basques were roared on by the more enthusiastic support at a far from full Vicente Calderon in its last competitive fixture before Atletico Madrid move home next season.

And Alaves were left wondering what might have been had they gone ahead when Ibai Gomez’s effort came back off the post, ricocheted off the back of Barca ‘keeper Jasper Cillessen but somehow squirmed along the goal line and not into the net on 27 minutes.

Three minutes later Messi kicked off a thrilling four-goal spell in the final 15 minutes of the half as he exchanged passes with Neymar before curling his 54th goal of the season.

owever, Barca’s initial lead only lasted three minutes.

On-loan Atletico left-back Hernandez has been courted by Barcelona, but looks set to become the first player to cross the Madrid divide since 2000 by signing for Real Madrid in the coming weeks.

And the 19-year-old showed why he is in such demand by bending a sumptuous free-kick into the top corner.

Messi saw a free-kick of his own beaten away by Fernando Pacheco, whilst Ivan Rakitic drilled a low shot just wide as Barca immediately reacted to conceding.

Fittingly, Messi was involved once more when Barca did regain the lead as he received Neymar’s pass before playing in Gomes and the Portuguese’s low cross was tapped home by Neymar at the back post as he scored for the third consecutive season in the Cup final.

Barca then put the game to bed in first-half stoppage time when Messi again pulled the Alaves defence apart and his reverse pass freed Alcacer to smash the ball beyond Pacheco into the far corner.

Luis Enrique's Barcelona set new unbeaten record, over takes Pep's Barca

After drawing with Valencia, the current Barca side have now gone 29 games without suffering defeat in all competitions, the longest run in the history of the club.

Pep Guardiola's long-standing unbeaten record in charge of Barcelona has been broken after the current Barca side struck late in the Copa del Rey to extend their streak to 29 games.

The previous record was set by Guardiola's all-conquering Barca side in the 2010-11 season, his penultimate year at the club, but Luis Enrique's MSN-led team drew level with the 28-match benchmark after Sunday's 2-0 win over Levante.

The Catalans appeared to be heading for defeat at the Mestalla on Wednesday night after Alvaro Negredo gave Valencia the lead, but substitute Wilfrid Kaptoum came off the bench to score the all-important goal that breaks the record.

It was the 19-year-old's first strike for the club and means Barca have now put together 23 wins and six draws in all competitions since they last lost a match, all the way back on October 3 against Sevilla.

The two sides are likely to do battle again in the final of the Copa del Rey, with Unai Emery's men boasting a commanding lead over Celta Vigo in the second semi-final.

During Barcelona's incredible unbeaten run, they have reached the final of the domestic cup, progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League and moved to the top of the Liga table - they are three points clear with a game in hand.

During the 130-day run, Barcelona scored a mind-boggling 87 goals and conceded just 15, with Luis Suarez top-scoring over the four-month period with 30 goals (Lionel Messi follows in second place with 18).

Next up for Barcelona is Celta, who face Sevilla on Thursday night, who pose a serious threat to their unbeaten record after beating the Catalan club in the reverse fixture in September.

GOAL

Barca breaks record and cruises into Copa Del Rey Final after Draw

​FC Barcelona stretch their unbeaten run to an amazing 29 games on their way to a sixth Copa del Rey Final in eight years​.

After drawing 1-1 in Valencia on Wednesday night, Barça have not only made it through to the Copa del Rey final for an impressive sixth time in eight years, but they have also set a new record in Spanish football by going 29 official matches without defeat.

With a seven-goal head start, the Catalans were effectively  through to final before a ball had been kicked at Mestalla, so it was little surprise that Luis Enrique opted to rest players for more decisive matches, including all three of the famous trident. All the same, the only reserve team player included in the starting eleven was Sergi Samper on the right of the midfield.

Quiet match

Played in front of a half-empty stadium, in a mood that often felt more like a pre-season friendly than a cup semi-final, the game was never going to be a classic. Barça provided most of the early football, with Munirand Rakitic coming closest to scoring, but as the first half progressed Valencia became more and more active.

Piatti and Villalba had both had chances for the home side before the 39th minute when Negredo was put through one-on-one with Ter Stegen. His attempted chip bounced off the German keeper's chest and back into his path, and Barça's lead had been cut to six. That was the only goal of a drama-free first 45 minutes.

The second half didn't produce too much in the way of action either. It took 20 minutes for anything to truly test either of the defences, a wonderful move by Rakitic to slip through two men but his shot was fired directly at Valencia keeper Jaume. Shortly after Ter Stegen was called into action to deny Danilo with the finest save of the night.

Kaptoum helps make history

As the minutes ticked by without major incident, Rakitic, Adriano and Sandro were replaced by Douglas,Cámara and Kaptoum. And the same three substitutes, in that order, were involved in Barça's equaliser after 84 minutes, the Cameroonian converting Cámara's cross with practically his first touch of the ball.

The goal meant nothing in terms of the outcome of the semi-final, but it did ensure yet another historic accomplishment by this amazing Barça side. It meant that they have now gone for a staggering 29 official matches without defeat, an all-time record in Spanish football!​​

Barcelona FC