Barca 4, Athletic Club Bilbao 1, a.k.a. “One down, two to go.”

By: Kevin | May 16th, 2009

So. This is a bit of housekeeping that should have been done days ago, but we can thank GolTV for not showing the freakin’ Copa final, for that. Having caught up with the Fox Soccer broadcast, we can now revel in the visual joys of our first piece of silver this weekend.

And I’ll be brief with this one, because there really isn’t a whole lot to say, except this picture, from the greatest moment in the match, The Yaya Goal.

Yes, it was 0-1 Bilbao when The Yaya took a pass, fleet-footed up the pitch, smoked 3 Bilbao defenders and unleashed a mighty strike, low and hard, that blew past the keeper as if it were shot from a cannon. Suddenly it was 1-1, and Bilbao looked stunned, probably because of all the people you expect to kill you, you don’t expect a defensive mid-cum center back to do so, from all the way in his own freaking box.

But know that you can’t explain magic. The shit just happens.

Guardiola rolled out a lineup that wasn’t all that surprising, really. It gave some love to the most consistent Copa performers, while making sure it was clear that we were in this match to win it: Pinto, Alves, Pique, The Yaya, Puyol, Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Messi, Krkic, Eto’o.

And anyone who entertained a realistic chance that we could lose this match must be a pessimist, or a Bilbao fan. Because even when they scored the first goal, as the attacker soared for a clear header between little Xavi (can he even jump?) and a bewildered-looking Keita, the issue was still never in doubt.

Which probably explains why the lads were milling about as if this were a scrimmage. They knew that they were the superior side, and they acted and played like it, taking their sweet time getting into the match, knowing that about 15 minutes of good football would seal the deal.

Bilbao was trying long ball, Route 1 stuff over the top, that bypasses our aggressive, ball-skilled midfield. Not a bad strategy, given that we defend from the midfield. But sides are better off just having a direct crack at the back line, and it bore fruit a couple of times, but to no real danger.

They decided to play footy for real in the second half, as the back line moved up to press the midfield, compressing the pitch and creating, in effect, a midfield of Xavi, Keita, Busquets, Puyol, Alves, Messi, Eto’o and The Yaya. If you get it behind them it’s clear sailing, but good luck with that if you try doing so on the ground, which Bilbao tried to do all too often.

And when a series of intricate passes led to an Eto’o shot that had absolutely no chance of going in, Bilbao’s keeper spilled the rebound, which fell to the foot of Messi, who made no mistake. It was 2-1, and we had all the space in the world in which to pass into, in part because of how we flooded the midfield.

So another series of great passes led to Krkic’s exquisite goal, a curler that snaked its way around a defender and the keeper, to kiss in off the far post. It was a Little Henry moment, that made the French striker’s influence on Krkic as clear as anything I’ve seen. He even struck the ball like Henry does, with the same effect. Sure, he could have passed to a wide-open Eto’o, but why? He probably would have found a way to miss the shot. So Krkic nailed it.

The final goal came off a free kick, as Messi had his clock cleaned by a Bilbao defender. Xavi’s curler made them pay, though I still don’t know why the keeper didn’t get it, unless he figured that running into the post for a 3-1 vs 4-1 difference in a match that his side had zero chance of winning, wasn’t all that good of a deal. He balked, and the free kick glanced off the post and went in.

And we, as has already been previously noted by one and all, are Copa del Rey champions.

Next up, the Liga.

Team: 6 A more dangerous club could have caused many more problems for the defense. They didn’t play a whole match, but had they played the entire match as they played that critical 20-minute stretch in the second half, it would have been a 10.

Guardiola: 7 Came out with an excellent lineup. Loses points for leaving Messi out there too long.

Pinto: 7 Didn’t have much to do, but did it well.

Alves: 6 Fighting his way back to being the player who made his 30+ million transfer fee seem a bargain. Some good defense, some good passes, and dude got hit in the head with a bottle, yo! Damn!

Pique: 7 Excellent early, particularly at the task of controlling Llorente. Once Bilbao was reduced to impotence, his role and effectiveness diminished.

The Yaya: 8 It seemed at times that he was playing central defense and midfielder. And what a goal.

Puyol: 7 Much aggression, and once again makes the argument for his being used as a winger in Rome, rather than in the center of defese. Aggression on attack and defense.

Busquets: 7 Better today, but against a team more complicit in its own demise. Bilbao seemed to almost cede the midfield in favor of over-the-top attacking. But, some very fine passing and good defensive plays.

Keita: 7 I’m really getting it now. He was Busquets-like in his distribution and attacking skills, in a fine all-around game. He’s coming around at the exact time that we need him.

Xavi: 10 What an exquisite match from our little General. He almost single-handed kick-started our match winning period with great, hyper-intelligent distribution and ball control. Amazing to watch.

Messi: 9 When he is passing and moving as he was against Bilbao, forget it. He was fully engaged, and super aggressive.

Krkic: 6 Some good play, disappeared when placed in central role. Beautifully taken goal that served to show Eto’o how it’s done.

Eto’o: 5 Had good work and workrate, but his first touch is disastrous. Practice, practice, practice. The missed chances….wow.

Substitutes

Pedro!: 6 Some nice play, very aggressive.

Sylvinho: 6 Solid and workmanlike. Made a case for Rome.

Hleb: 6 Looked good, but still pressing too hard.

Next up is the Liga, a trophy that should be salted away on Sunday, and then we can focus on Rome. We came out with no new injuries. Now let’s put Mallorca away so we can really rest some folks.