Barcelona vs. Villarreal Copa del Rey Semifinals Second Leg : Luis Suarez & Neymar Continue to Roll in 3-1 Victory
Barcelona is headed to the Copa del Rey final after taking down Villarreal 3-1 Wednesday in the second leg of the semifinal for a total aggregate win of 6-2.
The team is now headed to the competition's grand finale for the second straight year and the fourth time since 2011.
The team lost 1-0 against Real Madrid in the 2011 final before defeating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 the following year. The team missed out on a finals appearance in 2013 but returned last season, only to lose 2-1 against Real Madrid.
The team is slated to take on Athletic Bilbao, which took down Espanyol 2-0 in its semifinal.
Here are some major takeaways from this contest for Blaugrana:
Neymar Continues Dominant Season
Lionel Messi might be having a terrific start to the season (more on that later), but Neymar has been lighting it up in this very competition. The Brazilian now has six goals in five Copa del Rey matches this season and has put up a whopping 26 goals for Barcelona across all competitions.
The Brazilian was particularly excellent in this game against Villarreal with four shots on goal, two key passes, a 86.4 passing completion rate and 84 touches on the night.
Those with doubts over Neymar's abilities should fear no more. The Brazilian forward has proven his worth this season and this was undoubtedly one of his finer performances this season.
Luis Suarez Show Continues
Remember those days when everyone bemoaned Luis Suarez and his inability to gel with Barcelona's potent offense? Those who made those assertions are likely frightened at what is unfolding before our very eyes.
Neymar and Lionel Messi were playing well prior to Suarez's arrival and there were some issues early on between the three on the pitch. But now that they have had to time to formulate a strategy and find their places on the front line, there can be no questions about just how good Barcelona's "Big Three" truly is.
Suarez has scored in three straight games and has put in a goal or assist in 11 of his last 13 games; he has eight goals and six assists in that span. But that statistic is not even that impressive when you consider that since Nov. 8, Suarez has not gone more than one game without a goal or an assist; he already has 11 goals and 10 assists on the year in just 20 matches. For some perspective, take a look at Messi and Ronaldo's stats in this latter department. Messi has 19 assists, but it took him 37 games to get there while Ronaldo has five more assists than Suarez in all competitions and he has played 36 games this year.
Lionel Messi "Slump" Continues
He has 15 goals and 10 assists in 15 games in 2015, but Lionel Messi has hit a bump in the road. And while he contributed an assist in this game (and some terrific passing), it is a testament to how great Messi had been just two weeks ago that we bemoan a run of one goal and one assist in four matches.
While Ronaldo is likely somewhere smiling to see his rival stumble a bit after getting a tremendous head start to the scoring race in 2015, those who have watched the game know that the superstar is still active in the games and helping create the offense. Even if he is not contributing directly on the score sheet, he is finding other ways to contribute; he had 71 passes against Villarreal, including three key passes. Only three players on the team had more passes throughout the evening.
Closer Than the Score Indicated
While the offense was terrific, there were some causes for concern. Barcelona was drastically outshot, 17-9, despite having 60 percent of possession. Villarreal managed six shots on target throughout the evening, but the fact that the team conceded as many opportunities as it did speaks to the fact that this is still a club that can be beaten by the best. Villarreal is certainly no slouch and was going all-out on the offensive, but Barcelona did not do the best of jobs in suppressing shots and avoiding chances.
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