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Established 1961 15 Sports Monday, April 23, 2018 Barcelona hammer Sevilla to win 30th Copa del Rey Suarez scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season MADRID: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inspired was virtually unplayable. Barcelona to what will surely be the first part of a If this is to be the 33-year-old’s last Barca final domestic double this season as they thrashed Sevilla 5- before departing for China, it was a fitting farewell, with 0 on Saturday to win the Copa del Rey. Messi had only goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen absent from the 10- scored once and Suarez twice before even the half-time man huddle that engulfed the Spaniard following his whistle had blown at the Wanda Metropolitano, with shimmying fourth. the sublime Andres Iniesta and Philippe Coutinho later By the time Coutinho converted his penalty in the compounding Sevilla’s humiliation. Barca’s exhilarating 69th minute, Barca were simply sharing the goals display earns them their 30th triumph in this competi- around. For Sevilla, defeat was always the most likely tion and fourth in a row, hav- scenario but this was a ing reached the final in each whitewash. Sitting eighth in of the last five years. La Liga, even Europa But, despite hugs and League qualification now high-fives at the end, the real looks an outside bet and celebrations will be put on there may be repercussions ice until next Sunday, when Sevilla, defeat for coach Vincenzo Montella victory over Deportivo La and some of his players in Coruna will confirm Ernesto was a whitewash the summer. Valverde’s side as La Liga “Barcelona has been champions too. Even a clean superior in everything, they sweep of the domestic tro- have extra-terrestrial play- phies, perhaps polished by ers,” Montella said. “ I’m La Liga’s first ever unbeaten very sorry for the fans who season, will not eradicate the lingering disappointment have been fantastic, sorry for the disappointments. I from Barca’s Champions League exit to Roma. have seen crying in the dressing room but tomorrow, MADRID: Spain’s king Felipe VI looks at Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta kissing the trophy after the But this performance, as easy on the eye as it was we have to work.” Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) final football match Sevilla FC against FC Barcelona at the Wanda emphatic, will certainly serve as a counter-point to Amid ongoing political unrest between Catalonia Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. Barcelona won 5-0. — AFP those that believe Valverde’s team have been efficient, and the Spanish government, Barca fans whistled dur- rather than exciting this season, and overly reliant on ing the national anthem before kick-off, with king Felipe Messi. “Winning the Cup does not hide the disappoint- VI watching on. Their jeers, however, were drowned of the net. Messi could have had a second were it not as the midfielder’s dummy-shot left Soria scrambling ment in Rome,” Suarez said after the match. “But at the out by the chants of Sevilla supporters. When the first for an incorrect offside call and then a cynical foul by and an open net for the midfielder to finish into. beginning of the season anyone would have signed for goal arrived it came from a long Cillessen punt down- Sergio Escudero, for which he was lucky only to receive Resigned to their fate, Sevilla’s fans sang to the end, a double.” field as Coutinho found himself free behind the Sevilla a yellow card. even as Coutinho despatched a penalty to make it five Messi was, of course, superb again on Saturday but backline and squared for Suarez to stab home. Both mattered little, however, as Messi set Suarez after the ball had struck Clement Lenglet on the arm. All this was not a one-man show. Suarez scored his 31st Iniesta hit the bar with a rasping shot from distance free in the 41st minute, and the Uruguayan slid a third that was left was for Iniesta’s substitution to be given a and 32nd goals of the season while Iniesta delivered and soon they were two up, Jordi Alba keeping the ball under David Soria. It was another one-two, with Messi standing ovation before the captain hoisted the trophy, one of those effortless displays, in which at times he alive with a backheel that Messi slammed into the roof again the pivot, that released Iniesta in the second half perhaps for the final time. — AFP often fail him. Most famously of all, Salah missed a series Salah to take of one-on-ones with Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas as Roma bowed of the Champions League at the last 16 to the side that would go onto win the competition centre-stage in 2016. Bayern must be MASTERFUL KLOPP fearless against at Liverpool “In Roma he was amazing. Every game he created a lot of chances, but sometimes missed,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who suffered from Salah’s new Real: Robben LONDON: Roma know the threat posed by Mohamed found confidence in front of goal as he scored in each leg Salah more than most having sold the free-scoring of Liverpool’s 5-1 aggregate thrashing of the Premier Egyptian to Liverpool for an initial 42 million euros (£37 BERLIN: Arjen Robben says Bayern Munich can ill League champions in the quarter-finals. “This season I afford to show Real Madrid any fear if they want to million, $52 million) just 10 months ago. think the way Jurgen Klopp wants to play is perfect for avoid a second-straight Champions League exit But that may not help the Italians much as they become him. I think Jurgen is a master to buy players with what he the latest side to face the gauntlet of Anfield on a really needs for the way he wants to play.” Pallotta agrees against the Spaniards. Bayern host Real at Munich’s European night in tomorrow’s Champions League semi- that Klopp’s system of a fluid front three also including Allianz Arena in Wednesday’s blockbuster semi-final, final, first leg as Salah has blossomed into a goalscoring Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is what has brought the first leg, in a repeat of last year’s quarter-final. machine very few saw coming at the start of the season. best out of Salah, who had to feed off the target man fig- Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in each leg of the Salah’s then club record price tag was questioned at the ure of Edin Dzeko at Roma. “He’s obviously had an incred- 2017 quarters, after Bayern had failed to capitalise time of the deal coming just two years after he failed to ible year. I think the coach there has clearly figured out on their chances at home, as Real won 6-3 on make an impression in the Premier League with Chelsea. how best to utilise him, using him in a different position I aggregate. Now, though, it looks like an incredible bargain as Salah would say to Roma because you’ve got Dzeko in the mid- “Last year we did not do well in the home game has netted 41 goals in 46 games to take Liverpool back to dle.” Despite Liverpool’s heroics against City in the last and played with a bit of fear,” said Robben. “That the last four of Europe’s premier club competition for the eight, they were upstaged by Roma for performance of the should not happen on Wednesday. “We’ll be ready. first time in a decade. round. The Serie A side overturned a 4-1 first leg deficit to They can also be vulnerable and we can go into the “It wasn’t like a lot of other teams than Liverpool were beat Barcelona on away goals by shutting out Lionel game with our heads high.” banging down the door,” Roma’s American co-owner Messi and a former Liverpool favourite Luis Suarez in a A year ago, Bayern lost the first-leg 2-1 in James Pallotta told the BBC’s World Football programme. famous 3-0 second leg win. Munich, then went down 4-2 away. In Munich, “I think today a lot of teams are kicking themselves in the However, a record of losing their last three Champions Arturo Vidal scored early for Bayern, but then failed head that they didn’t take a closer look at him.” League games on the road-conceding eight goals in the to convert a penalty with the Germans controlling In a nomadic career since moving to Europe as a 19- process-doesn’t bode well ahead of a visit to fortress the game and Real on the ropes. However the match year-old, Salah was known for his pace and dribbling abili- Anfield. Salah matched Suarez’s Premier League record of ty in spells at Basel and Fiorentina either side of a short turned as Ronaldo netted two second-half goals and 31 goals in a single campaign on Saturday and stopping Bayern had Javi Martinez sent off for a second time at Chelsea before moving to Roma. their former team-mate over two legs may prove a step However, the capability he has shown time and again booking. too far for Roma in their first appearance in the last four Mohamed Salah this season to keep a cool head in front of goal used to so since they lost to Liverpool in the 1984 final. —AFP Bayern went down fighting in the return ,losing 4- 2 away having played extra time with a man down after Vidal was sent off late on and Ronaldo wrapped up his hat-trick.

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