Barcelona and Athletic, Copa del Rey finalists

The 2014/15 Copa del Rey now has its finalists as FC Barcelona and Athletic Club sealed passage through to the final on Wednesday night. Barcelona left Villarreal CF in their wake, whilst Ernest Valverde’s men saw off RCD Espanyol. 

The Catalans led by Luis Enrique were the first team to secure their place in the final of the Copa del Rey. Barcelona, who had won the first leg 3-1, gave Villarreal no chance of making a comeback, as they conceded soon after the match got underway. Neymar scored following a pass from Lionel Messi, clearing the way for his team on a night when Luis Suárez and Neymar again, with a second goal, made sure that Jonathan Dos Santos’ momentary equaliser had no effect.

In the other game, goals from Aritz Aduriz and Xabier Etxeita in the first half were enough for the Bilbao side to win the knockout stage with an aggregate score of 3-1. The Basque side arrived at the Power8 stadium knowing they had to score to reach the final and they did that in the first half during which they showed their effectiveness. The visitors got the match on track and booked their place in the final, that will be played on 30 May, giving them the chance to won their 24th Copa del Rey.

This is the fifth final in the last seven years for Barcelona, who have won on two of those occasions. Should they win, it will be their 27th title, and they would be the club with the most Copa del Rey wins. They will face an old foe, as their two wins in the four last finals were against Athletic, their final opponent.