The Catalans reached the final by
beating Villarreal 3-1, but there was bad news as
the midfielder was stretchered off with an ankle
injury at El Madrigal
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer
It was mission accomplished for Barcelona on
Wednesday as Luis Enrique's side achieved their
first objective of the season by progressing to the
Copa del Rey final. But at what price?
Neymar's early goal from a wonderful Lionel
Messi pass all but sealed it and Barca - some
way below their best against a spirited rival -
made sure of their progression after Tomas Pina
was sent off for brutally scything down the
Brazilian, who added a second after Luis Suarez
scored his fourth in a week.
But earlier on, Pina also made his mark by
clattering into Busquets and leaving the midfielder
in agony. The 26-year-old, who recently signed a
new contract to extend his stay at the Catalan
club until 2019, will undergo tests on Thursday to
determine the extent of the damage.
Barca fans will have been encouraged to see the
World Cup winner laughing and joking on the
bench late in the game, but president Josep
Maria Bartomeu warned after the match that the
Spain international is facing a significant spell on
the sidelines.
"It looks like there is no break, no fracture," the
club chief said afterwards. "But he will be out for
some time. It is a slow recovery process."
In Busquets' absence, Javier Mascherano played
a fine forward pass to set up Suarez for Barca's
second goal. The Argentine can step in to the
breach and will not let anybody down. Tactically
and technically, however, the Catalan offers so
much more to this team, with a far greater range
of passing and superior attacking qualities than
the former Liverpool man.
UP BARCELONA
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