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| Di Maria Scores | Image Courtesy of Real Madrid |
'Di María's goal as well as a cracking finish by Bale, after a
wonderful bit of play, were enough to defeat Barcelona and earn Real
Madrid their 19th Copa del Rey title'
The will and desire to delight the fans outweighed the fact that a number
of important players were missing. That is what Real Madrid displayed
in Mestalla, as the team was once again victorious, picking up the 19th
Copa del Rey title in the club's history at the end of what will go down
as a legendary encounter. The team from the Spanish capital got off to a
flying start. Within 10 minutes they had taken the lead and had also
created another two clear goal-scoring opportunities, the only real
chances in the game up until that point.
Bale was the first to try his luck, but his shot in the 5' was fired
across the face of goal before going wide. The Welshman was once again
at the centre of things a minute later when another of his efforts came
off Mascherano. The first two attempts on goal proved an effective
warm-up act as the Whites found the mark with their third. Isco picked
up
the ball in the centre of the midfield to start a spectacular
counter-attacking move in the 10'. From there the ball travelled between
Bale, Benzema and Di María, before the latter finished off the move by
firing the ball low past Pinto.
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| Iker Casillas Couldnt Hide His Joy| Image Courtesy |
'The counter attack was straight out of a coaching manual, the kind that is shown as an example to children'
Real Madrid were now in control of the game and knew that the less time
the opposition had on the ball, the fewer chances they were likely to
create. In fact, the first and only Barcelona shot on target during the
first half came in the 23' when Alba's headed effort was easily dealt
with by Casillas. The praise for the Catalans' lack of creativity
belonged to the Real Madrid defenders, who did not give their rivals an
inch of space. The Whites defended tightly and could have gone into the
break with an even bigger lead had their finishing in front of goal
matched the slickness of their counter-attacking moves, which time and
time again caught the blaugrana off guard.
There was little else the Real Madrid fans could ask of their team and the Whites began the second half in much the same vein. Just like at the beginning of the match, Bale was the first to shoot during the second half. An excellent bit of individual play in the 48' saw him beat two players, however, his effort was off target. That was Real Madrid's best period of play, and in the 67' they had another chance to widen the gap within the sides, but Benzema was denied by Pinto at the near post.
There was little else the Real Madrid fans could ask of their team and the Whites began the second half in much the same vein. Just like at the beginning of the match, Bale was the first to shoot during the second half. An excellent bit of individual play in the 48' saw him beat two players, however, his effort was off target. That was Real Madrid's best period of play, and in the 67' they had another chance to widen the gap within the sides, but Benzema was denied by Pinto at the near post.
Bale decided the match with a moment of genius.
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| Gareth Bale Celebrates the Golden Goal With Alonso| Image Courtesy of Real Madrid |
It looked more likely that Real Madrid would double their lead than Barca finding an equaliser, but Bartra headed home from a corner to make it all square in the 68'. Ancelotti's men were unlucky to concede with twenty minutes left on the clock.
The suspense was eased thanks to a stunning piece of play from Bale. A goal, much like the one scored on the same stage three years ago by Cristiano Ronaldo, will go down in the
Source: Real Madrid FC