FC Barcelona are crowned champions of the Copa del Rey

FC Barcelona conquered the Copa de S.M el Rey for the 27th time in their history. On this occasion the trophy was won by goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, who rounded off a great night for the Catalans, who beat Athletic Club 3-1 in the Camp Nou  to lift their second trophy of the season. The third could arrive next week, if Luis Enrique's side beat Juventus in the final of the UEFA Champions League in Berlin.

The match between the Basques and the Catalans had all the excitement you would expect from a fixture between these two historic sides. The opening minutes were charged with energy as both sides fought for possession in a competitive and open encounter. FC Barcelona had more of the ball, but Athletic had two incursions into Ter Stegen’s area.

The game remained open until the 20th minute, when Leo Messi invented a superb moment of skill by beating three Athletic defenders to close in on goal, leaving Aymeric Laporte in his wake before smashing the ball into the near corner. The Catalans then took control of the game. Iñaki Williams was the only Bilbao player able to create any danger, but Barça's lethal attack produced a wonderful second goal, finished off by Neymar.

After the break, Athletic came out to press Barça and try and turn the game around and pick up their first Copa del Rey in 31 years. The Catalans meanwhile took a breather until Messi scored the third of the night, turning in Dani Alves' pass. Despite being 3-0 down, Athletic refused to give up and kept on fighting. Their goal arrived thanks to a cross from Ibai Gómez which was headed in by Williams, but it could not prevent Barcelona picking up their second trophy of the season and kicking off huge celebrations inside the Camp Nou.