Barca make it four in a row
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inspired Barcelona to what will surely be the first part of a domestic double this season as they thrashed Sevilla 5-0 on Saturday to win the Copa del Rey.
Messi had scored once and Suarez twice before even the half-time whistle had blown at the Wanda Metropolitano, with the sublime Andres Iniesta and Philippe Coutinho later compounding Sevilla's humiliation.
Barca's display earns them their 30th triumph in this competition and fourth in a row, having reached the final in each of the last five years. But, despite hugs and high-fives at the end, the real celebrations will be put on ice until Sunday, when victory over Deportivo La Coruna will confirm Ernesto Valverde's side as La Liga champions too.
But even a clean sweep of the domestic trophies, perhaps polished by La Liga's first ever unbeaten season, will not eradicate the disappointment from Barca's Champions League exit to Roma.
"Winning the Cup does not hide the disappointment in Rome," Suarez said after the match. "But at the beginning of the season anyone would have signed for a double."
Messi was superb again on Saturday but this was not a one-man show. Suarez scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season while Iniesta delivered one of those effortless displays, in which at times he was virtually unplayable. By the time Coutinho converted his penalty in the 69th minute, Barca were simply sharing the goals around.
For Sevilla, defeat was always the most likely scenario but this was a whitewash. Sitting eighth in La Liga, even Europa League qualification now looks an outside bet.
INIESTA HINTS AT FAREWELL
After the game, Iniesta hinted he may have played his last final for Barcelona, saying he would reveal his future plans "this week" as the 33-year-old weighs up an offer from China that would take him away from his boyhood club.
Iniesta looked tearful as he departed to a standing ovation in the second half, from some Sevilla fans too, before hoisting the Copa del Rey trophy aloft.
"This week I will make my decision public but we will always have days like today," Iniesta said.
Asked if this was his last final with Barcelona, Iniesta added: "It's a possibility. In a few days I'll make it public and nothing more. Today is a very special and emotional day.
"I will say what the decision is this week," said Iniesta. "I think it's a little clear but we will see."
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