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#3 Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman faces the heat once again
Barcelona came into this clash on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, helping ease some of the pressure on Ronald Koeman.
The former Everton manager has looked out of depth at Camp Nou, with on-field results failing to match expectations, while he has hardly been helped by off-field issues too.
Nevertheless, a win against Athletic Bilbao would have provided Koeman some reprieve with his first trophy at the beleaguered club. However, that failed to happen, and the Barcelona manager could face the heat.
The manner in which the defeat came is also sure to see questions being raised about Koeman's pedigree. It is looking increasingly likely that Ronald Koeman may not last as Barcelona manager beyond the end of the season.
#2 Impressive Athletic Bilbao prove good value for their win against Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao's indifferent start to the campaign saw them part ways with Gaizko Garitano in December, with Marcelino appointed in his place.
The former Valencia manager faced Barcelona in his first game in charge, where Los Leones endured a narrow 2-3 defeat. Athletic Bilbao have, however, built on from there, and their victory over Real Madrid in the semi-final was indicative of the progress made by the side in a short while.
Against Barcelona, the San Mames outfit brought their A-game to the fore and maintained optimum concentration for the full 120 minutes. Bilbao expectedly had less of the ball, but made every moment on the ball count, fashioning more chances in the game than Barcelona.
They registered 12 shots to Barcelona's ten, five corner kicks to the Blaugrana's three and 22 crosses in the box compared to 18 from the Catalan club.
Despite going behind twice, Athletic Bilbao did not lose their confidence and showed great determination to come from behind on each occasion. On the overall balance of play, Athletic Bilbao were good value for their win and will now hope to build momentum in their domestic campaign.
#1 Lionel Messi caps off an underwhelming display with a send-off
Lionel Messi was fit to participate in the final against Athletic Bilbao after not playing the semi-final. However, the Barcelona captain struggled to express himself in the game for two hours.
In an uncharacteristically off-colour display, Messi failed to register a shot on target from three attempts, while he also did not make a key pass to a teammate.
With time running out and Barcelona staring at a defeat, their number 10 was powerless to do anything, Perhaps this feeling of frustration got the better of him in the final minute of extra-time.
After passing the ball to a teammate, the 33-year-old inexplicably took a swing at Asier Vilalibre with his elbow when the Athletic Bilbao man ran past him.
VAR came to the fore after the referee missed the off-the-ball incident, with Lionel Messi getting dismissed with a straight red card for violent conduct for only the second time in his illustrious career.
It was, however, his first in a Barcelona shirt, coming in his 753rd appearance for the Blaugrana in all competitions. After winning a race against time to be fit for the final against Athletic Bilbao, it ended up as a game for Messi to forget.
