Barcelona didn’t just win the Copa del Rey final 2020/21 against Athletic Club, they destroyed the Basque side.
Both on the scoreboard and on the pitch, Barcelona provided an exhibition of just how football can be played.
“A result like this isn’t normal,” is how Ronald Koeman described it.
At the Estadio de La Cartuja, Barcelona registered 759 passes, compared to just 172 from the Basque side.
What’s more, 93.7 percent of Barcelona‘s passes were completed, showing their quality with the highest such figure of any game this season.
In total, Barcelona had 77 percent of possession, surpassing 80 percent in the first half, and they restricted Athletic to very few chances in a dominant performance.
With eight shots on target, four ending in goals, the 3-5-2 that Koeman opted for worked perfectly.
The perfect demonstration was the fourth goal, where Barcelona combined 60 passes over 149 seconds before Jordi Alba cut back to Lionel Messi to convert.
One of the stars was not just Messi but Frenkie de Jong, who hit the post, scored and provided two assists.
Even beyond that, he was successful with 67 of his 70 passes (97 percent) and showed a great understanding with the Argentine in the final third.
Together, they led the way for a superb display for Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey in style.
