Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid : Five Talking Points from the Copa del Rey final

A late-winner from Gareth Bale was enough to seal Real Madrid's first trophy under Carlo Ancelotti and their 19th Copa del Rey title overall. After a slow start, Barcelona came back into the game in the second half with Marc Batra cancelling Angel Di Maria's early goal. But, it wasn't mean to be, for the Catalans. Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Are we witnessing the demise of Barcelona?

For long periods the game, it looked as though Barcelona weren’t up for the game. Every Catalan player apart from Jordi Alba, looked more interested in going down or fighting with the referee rather than playing the game. And even the Spanish full back was withdrawn at half-time and their chances looked bleak. At the hour mark, Catalan fans started leaving the ground, even though the score line was just 1-0.

The truth was that, for all the possession, Barcelona didn’t look like their usual selves at all. There was an unusually high number of crosses into the box and slackness in passing. Even their best player, Messi looked jaded. Although they scored the equalizer, the Catalans still looked ropey at the back and it was only a matter of time before Real scored, which they did with six minutes to go. Out of the Champions League and the race for the League title, the Copa del Rey looked to be their only hope of silverware this season and now, with that also gone, this looks like a season for failure for the once-mighty Catalans.

#2 Referee has a blinder

Whether it was both sets of players falling down like nine pins or Barcelona players crowding the referee to get a decision in their favor, the game was arguably one of the most difficult to referee. But Mateu Lahoz was firm and fair and had the game of his life. A game of this magnitude demanded a referee who wasn’t going to give into the players’ wishes.

That certainly proved to be the case as the referee never the game get to him. The everlasting image of the game will be one, of the referee waving his hand, asking the player to get up and play on. In a game that was high on theatrics and low on quality, the referee was, without a shadow of doubt, the man of the match.

#3 Enigmatic Di Maria pivotal to Madrid\'s chances

In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid were looking for someone to take over the mantle and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. In Angel Di Maria, they seem to have found the perfect solution. A player whose game depends on elegance and poise as much as energy and pace, Di Maria proved to be the difference between the two clubs over the course of 90 minutes.

The Argentine winger looked threatening every time he got the ball in the final-third, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. At times, Di Maria looked disinterested, lethargic and prone to bouts of simulation. It was a game that showed Carlo Ancelotti the pro’s and con’s of the Argentine, who might well be Madrid’s go-to man should Ronaldo remain injured for the Champions League semi-final.

#4 Madrid need to be more clinical

Although the result was never quite in doubt, it is safe to say that Madrid barely got out of third gear against Barcelona. Whilst they were strong defensively and were a threat on the counter attack, they were almost undone by their inability to kill the game off. Following Di Maria's opener, Madrid had plenty of chances to grab a second and secure the cup, but took none of them.

And it took a wonder-goal from Gareth Bale to save their blushes in the end. Going forward, if Real are serious about their domestic or European title ambitions, they need to be more clinical in front of goal, remain concentrated for the entire game and learn to kill teams off.

#5 Bale wins the battle of the apprentices

With Cristiano Ronaldo out injured and Messi seemingly going through a torrid time, it was a clash of the two apprentices, Gareth Bale and Neymar. Two players who were bought for massive amounts of money, have thus far, had a good season in their own right. But, both looked on the periphery of the contest in the first half.

In the second half, although neither played better, Neymar’s antics started growing more tiresome. And with every passing minute, it looked likely that he might get a booking and get sent off. But, with six minutes to go, Bale stormed down the left touch line and scored an astonishing goal to give Real Madrid the lead. Just a few minutes later, Neymar had a glorious opportunity to send the tie into extra-time, but he hit the post instead and Bale ended up emerging victorious.