Paragliding

Barcelona won the Copa del Rey for the 25th time as they overwhelmed Athletic Club in the second half in Mestalla. Goal.com awarded each player a mark out of ten after the game…
13 May 2009

ATHLETIC CLUB

Iraizoz 7 – May have let in four goals, but also made a number of outstanding saves to help his team stay in the game and then to keep the scoreline respectable.

Iraola 5.5 – Athletic’s defence did what they could against a tide of Blaugrana as the Basque Country side were unable to to clear their lines.

Ocio 5.5 – As Eto’o and company struggled to find lots of space in the first half, the physical game took its toll and his legs also became tired.

Amorebieta 5.5 – The Athletic defence came under such pressure in the second period that it was difficult for him to keep playing as well as he did early on.

Koikili 6 – An uncompromising display from the full-back as he did what was asked of him in the first half before struggling to keep up later on.

Orbaiz 5.5 – Played as part of an effective defensive unit in the first half, but then went off as Athletic were forced to chase the game after the break.

Javi Martinez 6 – Is given a decent mark because of the amount of work he put in against a side that made Athletic run and run to keep up.

Yeste 5 – Could have been one of Athletic’s main outlets, but after some good touches was forced to work back and abandon his attacking role.

David Lopez 5.5 – Chased and harried where he could and tried to stop Barcelona from playing their wide game.

Toquero 7 – Did very well to net the opener and give Athletic hope of causing a surprise, but was then forced to work back as his side played too deep.

Llorente 5.5 – Caused problems on occasion, but given that he was not supported like he would have wanted he was only able to trouble Pinto once.

Subs

Etxeberria 5 – Went on and instead of being able to push his side up field, he also spent most of his time chasing back.

Ion Velez 5 – The odd crunching tackle did not make him popular with the Barca bench, but he could do little more.

BARCELONA

Pinto 6 – Had a quiet evening and will have been delighted to have been given the nod after playing in every round of the cup this season.

Alves 8 – A tireless display that saw him display his full range of abilities, the highlights of which were a superb free kick and long-range shot.

Toure 8.5 – Considering that he is not a natural defender, the Ivory Coast international held his own against the physical presence of Athletic going forward and scored a stunning goal.

Pique 7.5 – Given the task of keeping Llorente quiet, the powerful centre-back ensured that Athletic’s iconic forward did not do what was expected.

Puyol 8 – Playing out of position for most of the game, the club captain put in a performance worthy of any player wearing his team’s armband.

Busquets 7.5 – Against a physical team the youngster held his own even if he lost the occasional tackle against the bigger players.

Xavi 9 – Pulled the strings in midfield once again and enjoyed himself even when there was not much space in the first half as Athletic kept things tight and also found the net with a superb free kick.

Keita 7.5 – Should have done better to stop Athletic from scoring, but his busy performance was crucial as he helped ensure his opponent’s physical game did not win the day.

Messi 8.5 – Came in to the game in the second half and would have been man of the match had he played the first half in the same way.

Eto’o 7.5 – Worked hard to find space behind what was a very busy Athletic defence and had his chances to score in the second period.

Bojan 8 – Scored a superb goal and worked very hard to show why is so highly rated and wanted by so many clubs around Europe in the summer.

Subs

Pedro 6 – Did well to keep the ball in on the left and clip the ball back over, but it was just too high for Eto’o.

Sylvinho 6 – The popular defender was able to enjoy the last few minutes of the game and then helped to lead the post-match celebrations.

Hleb – 6 Tried to make a name for himself with a drive after coming on, but his shot flew over in what could be his last game for the club.

Do you agree or not with these ratings? Vote for who you think was the best and the worst performer and let everyone know your thoughts by clicking here.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

Duration : 0:6:8

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