Barcelona, Arsenal win impressively
Lionel Messi scored a stunning opener before adding a second goal to lead Barcelona to Spain’s Copa del Rey title with a 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday at Barcelona, giving the Catalan club its second of three possible trophies before it turns to the Champions League final.
Messi did it all by himself in the 20th minute when he dribbled past four Bilbao defenders to put Barcelona in charge. The star forward added a second goal after Neymar doubled the lead to build a 3-0 advantage as Barcelona claimed its record 27th cup title — and third in seven years, all at the expense of Bilbao.
Barcelona won the Spanish league two weeks ago and, led by Luis Enrique, has now won two major trophies for the first time since 2011. It finished last season without a major piece of silverware under former coach Gerardo Martino. It will have a chance to make it a rare treble when it plays Juventus for the European Cup in Berlin next Saturday.
“We have two, and now we want the third. That is the mentality of this team and this club,” Luis Enrique said. “Messi is the best player in the world, even though we are used to him. I saw his first goal up close, but I am eager to watch it again later.”
FA Cup
Theo Walcott ended a frustrating season by scoring the first goal as Arsenal won a record 12th FA Cup title with a dominant 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the final at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Walcott, who missed most of 2014 with a knee injury sustained in an FA Cup game, volleyed home a shot in the 40th minute to put defending champion Arsenal ahead.
Alexis Sanchez doubled the lead with a fierce 25-yard shot that dipped under the crossbar, and before Per Mertesacker scored with a header in the 62nd. Olivier Giroud completed the win in injury time.
After a nine-year trophy drought, Arsenal has now won the Cup two years in a row, overtaking Manchester United’s record of 11 titles.
The win also meant Arsene Wenger tied the record for Cup victories by a coach with six, level with Villa’s George Ramsay, who won his last title in 1920.
German Cup
Wolfsburg defeated Borussia Dortmund, 3-1, at Berlin to win the German Cup for the first time, de- nying Juergen Klopp the perfect send-off in his final game as Dortmund coach.
After seven years at the club, the 47-year-old Klopp was unable to inspire his side to victory despite going ahead in the fifth minute on a goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Luiz Gustavo scored the equalizer in the 22nd minute, Kevin De Bruyne put Wolfsburg ahead in the 33rd, and Bas Dost completed the scoring with a header from close range five minutes later.
Dortmund fought hard in the second half, only to struggle against Wolfsburg’s well-organized defense with goalkeeper Diego Benaglio in fine form.
“I’m simply proud of the team,” said Wolfsburg Coach Dieter Hecking, who celebrated his first title.
French Cup
Paris Saint-Germain became the first French side to win the domestic triple after laboring to a 1-0 win against second-division side Auxerre in the French Cup final at Paris.
Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani settled a tense match when he headed in a cross from the right midway through the second half, although the ball went off the crossbar and hit the back of goalkeeper Donovan Leon before crossing the line.
U-20
The United States won its first match at the Under-20 World Cup since 2009, rallying to beat Myanmar, 2-1, on goals by Maki Tall and Emerson Hyndman at Wellington, New Zealand.
Making its debut in the tournament, Myanmar went ahead in the ninth minute when U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen failed to control a corner kick, and Yank Naing Oo tapped in the ball at the near post.
The U.S. tied the score in the 17th minute when Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers redirected Hyndman’s corner kick to Tall, who scored with a rightfooted shot. Hyndman, who plays for Fulham, got the go-ahead goal in the 56th with a 12-yard shot following a pass from Rubio Rubin.