Villarreal vs. Barcelona: Winners and Losers from 2014/15 Copa del Rey
Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey final by beating Villarreal 3-1 (6-2 on aggregate) at El Madrigal on Wednesday evening.
Neymar gave La Blaugrana the lead in just the third minute by capping off a beautiful team goal, but Jonathan dos Santos equalised just before half-time by sliding in at the back post following a left-wing cross.
The Yellow Submarine's comeback bid took a substantial hit as Tomas Pina saw red for a bad tackle on Neymar, and from there Barca took over. Luis Suarez netted in impressive fashion to finish the fight, and Neymar netted his second at the death.
For the first time since 1926, Barcelona advance to the final of the Copa del Rey after winning every single one of their games. Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Javier Mascherano, Who Quietly Impressed
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Javier Mascherano was required in two positions on Wednesday evening, and the ease at which he is able to switch between them still astounds to this day.
He started the night at centre-back and put in one particular block-tackle of note on Luciano Vietto, then moved into midfield following Sergio Busquets' injury and helped turn the midfield battle his side's way.
The Argentinian was superb in his application of stifling and closing off space, and it was his superb pass that released Luis Suarez for the killer goal.
Loser: Tomas Pina, Who Could Have Had 2 Red Cards
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Tomas Pina received a straight red card in the second half after scything down Neymar in cruel fashion. It was late, it was nasty and it was from behind. Earlier in the game, he put Sergio Busquets on a stretcher after crunching his ankle via a follow-through in a challenge.
He committed three fouls and just the one successful tackle, per WhoScored.com, and was lucky to last 65 minutes on the pitch. His sending off ruined any chance of a Villarreal comeback.
Winner: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Who Impressed in Goal for Barcelona
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Despite conceding a goal to Jonathan dos Santos, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was in fine form on Wednesday evening and helped his side in more ways than one.
As Agence France-Presse's Kieran Canning noted, the German's brilliance with the ball at his feet allowed Barcelona to circumvent Villarreal's excellent pressing and play out from the back under pressure.
He was also on hand to make a number of key stops in the first half, showing great reflexes and strong wrists.
Losers: Denis Cheryshev and Luciano Vietto, Whose Profligacy Cost Villarreal
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Villarreal created enough chances to win this game, but profligacy and a remarkable lack of cutting edge betrayed them in the final third, ruining their chances of progression.
Denis Cheryshev and Luciano Vietto, two firecracker attackers who've been in brilliant form this season, squandered most of the opportunities by continually slamming finishes high, wide or straight at the goalkeeper.
The biggest culprit of the two was Cheryshev: He managed to sky a finish over the bar from just two yards early on.
Winner: Neymar, Who Was Man of the Match
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Neymar bagged himself a brace on Wednesday evening, scoring two excellent goals courtesy of two excellent deliveries from his team-mates.
The first was a chipped, difficult finish from a beautiful Lionel Messi pass, and the second a deft header under pressure following a similar pass by Xavi.
His pace, trickery and opportunism was a constant threat, bearing down on goal numerous times and working Sergio Asenjo throughout.
