Chapter 504: Treble Battle

Mestalla Stadium, Valencia, Spain.

In the Copa del Rey final, Barcelona faced off against Athletic Bilbao.

King Juan Carlos and the Queen of Spain were in attendance to watch the match. They were also present for the La Liga title award ceremony, which only served to frustrate Juan Carlos, a die-hard Real Madrid fan.

The whole world knew that he once joked about betting his throne on Real Madrid.

This season, however, Real Madrid was destined to end up empty-handed, unable to shake Barcelona's dominance.

In this Copa del Rey final, the Basque Lions from the north put up a fierce fight against Barcelona.

Javi Martínez struck first with a powerful long-range shot, breaking through Barcelona's defense and putting Athletic Bilbao ahead.

Despite his tall and robust frame, the Spanish midfielder was anything but clumsy. On the contrary, he had excellent footwork and a knack for shooting from distance, traits honed through Spain's technical football development.

With the early lead, Athletic Bilbao ramped up the pressure, forcing Barcelona into uncomfortable situations and even making them look vulnerable at times.

However, Barcelona gradually gained control of possession and began to create dangerous chances behind Bilbao's aggressive high press.

It wasn't until the 31st minute that Yaya Touré, playing as a makeshift center-back in this match, suddenly surged forward through midfield. He deftly evaded two defenders, dribbled past Bilbao's central defender Amorebieta, and unleashed a powerful strike from 20 meters out to level the score.

Coincidentally, Touré's goal came from almost the exact same spot as Javi Martínez's earlier strike.

No one expected that in a match featuring some of the world's best attacking talents, it would be two towering defensive players who found the back of the net first.

The first half ended in a 1-1 draw, but as the second half began, Barcelona immediately asserted their dominance.

Messi finally came alive.

The Argentine wizard first dribbled past two defenders before firing a shot on goal. He continued to terrorize Bilbao's defense with his dazzling footwork and sharp movements.

In the 54th minute, Messi delivered a precise pass to the right side of the penalty area. Eto'o's low shot was initially blocked, but Messi reacted quickly, pouncing on the rebound to score and give Barcelona a 2-1 lead.

Just four minutes later, Messi produced another pinpoint pass. This time, Bojan surged into the left side of the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the net, extending the lead to 3-1.

Then, in the 64th minute, Messi dribbled into the box once again, only to be brought down by Amorebieta. Xavi stepped up and coolly converted the penalty, pushing the score to 4-1.

At that moment, the atmosphere in Mestalla shifted.

Barcelona fans in the stands erupted in celebration, convinced the title was already secured.

In La Liga, Barcelona held an eight-point lead over Real Madrid with just three matches remaining, winning the league was practically a done deal. Now, with the Copa del Rey also in their grasp, the double was officially secured.

But the Barcelona faithful were not satisfied. Their eyes were now set on an even bigger prize, the UEFA Champions League final!

As Athletic Bilbao realized the match was slipping away, their frustrations grew, and their tackles became increasingly reckless.

The Barcelona supporters began urging Guardiola to substitute Messi, fearing that Bilbao's aggression could lead to an injury that would rule him out of the Champions League final.

Heeding the fans' concerns, Guardiola quickly replaced Messi with Hleb, earning applause from the crowd.

With a commanding 4-1 victory, Barcelona had officially secured the Copa del Rey title!

---

Following Barcelona's triumph, Guardiola faced the media in the post-match interview zone.

Meanwhile, far away in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Napoli had just defeated Sampdoria to claim the Coppa Italia, bringing them one step closer to their own domestic double.

When Guardiola was informed of Napoli's victory, he smiled and extended his congratulations to Gao Shen.

"I want to congratulate Gao. He and Napoli fully deserve this success. Winning back-to-back domestic doubles is an incredible achievement, and Napoli has proven its strength. Gao has also shown that he is one of the best coaches in European football today."

While pleased with Barcelona's Copa del Rey performance, Guardiola acknowledged that conceding a goal was a defensive lapse that needed to be addressed.

In recent matches, he had been experimenting with Yaya Touré as a center-back, a decision that had worked well so far. This shift had pushed Puyol into a more flexible role, alternating between right-back and left-back.

However, Barcelona was facing a key challenge ahead of the Champions League final. Due to UEFA's yellow card accumulation rule, Abidal would be suspended for the final after picking up a booking in the semi-final against Liverpool, a notable blow to their defensive stability.

Guardiola admitted that this absence would have an impact, but he remained confident in his team's ability to adapt.

"I know Gao Shen and Napoli very well. I understand their strength. This is the most important game of our season, and they will be our toughest opponent."

"For the past few weeks, and in the coming days, our entire focus has been on preparing for this match. I have full confidence that we will be in peak condition for the Champions League final!"

"In Rome, we have only one objective, the title!"

"The Treble!"

---

Guardiola wasn't the only one brimming with ambition.

Barcelona's players Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Eto'o, and Yaya Touré all voiced their confidence and determination in media interviews.

Each of them shared the same goal: winning the historic treble.

Messi, usually reserved, made a rare bold declaration:

"We are determined to win the treble!"

The Spanish media echoed this sentiment.

Even traditionally Madrid-leaning outlets like AS and Marca put their rivalry aside, throwing their support behind Barcelona in hopes of bringing another Champions League trophy to Spain.

However, these same publications also reminded Barcelona that achieving the treble would not be easy.

After all, Gao Shen and his Napoli were chasing the same dream!

With Napoli's Coppa Italia secured and the Serie A title all but guaranteed, they too were closing in on the treble. This parallel battle fueled excitement across the global footballing community.

It was an extraordinary moment in football history.

For the first time, both Champions League finalists had already won their domestic league and cup competitions.

Whoever triumphed in Rome would not only lift the Champions League trophy but also become the first team in their nation's history to complete the treble, cementing their legacy.

After reporting on Barcelona's Copa del Rey victory, the Italian media sent a clear warning to Gao Shen and Napoli:

Be careful of Barcelona. Be especially careful of Messi.

Against Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona had struggled against intense high pressing and relentless pressure in the first half. But in the second half, Messi exploded, dismantling Bilbao's defensive system within ten minutes, directly orchestrating three goals.

There was no doubt about it, Messi was the heart and soul of this Barcelona team.

Sacchi also gave advice to Gao Shen in his column in Gazzetta dello Sport, believing that in order to curb Barcelona, Messi must be contained.

The challenge, however, was that Guardiola no longer seemed willing to deploy Messi on the wing. Instead, he positioned him centrally.

It was similar to how Guardiola liked to use Yaya Touré as a center-back while allowing Busquets to play as the No. 4.

This tactical adjustment made Napoli's task of defending against Messi even more difficult.

…

After returning from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Napoli had no time to rest, as they immediately faced a crucial Serie A fixture over the weekend, the 36th round of the season.

As long as Napoli defeated Torino in this match, they would secure the league title in advance.

However, the game was not easy.

Torino was currently 17th in the standings, just one point above the relegation zone. Desperate to avoid the drop, they were bound to fight with everything they had against Napoli.

Napoli had already played two matches within a week, and Gao Shen also had to prepare for the upcoming Champions League final.

Before the match, Gao Shen made it clear that the team was not fixated on securing the title at home immediately.

What he meant was simple, the championship was already in their grasp. Whether they won it one round earlier or later made no difference to them, and they would not alter their preparation plan because of it.

As expected, against Torino, Gao Shen fielded an all-rotated lineup.

The match was tightly contested. Throughout the first half, Torino defended resolutely, setting up a compact 4-4-1-1 formation that made it difficult for Napoli to break through.

It wasn't until the 44th minute that Pellè delivered a pass into the middle of the penalty area, allowing Valencia to seize the opportunity and score with a low shot, giving Napoli a 1-0 lead.

After halftime, Napoli pressed forward aggressively, completely dominating Torino.

In the 51st minute, Callejón provided an assist, setting up Pellè to score Napoli's second goal—2-0!

That goal effectively sealed the victory.

Then, in the 72nd minute, Hamsik led a quick counterattack, dribbled past two defenders, and finished clinically inside the box, extending the lead to 3-0.

Napoli ultimately secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Torino at home.

At the same time, Inter Milan defeated Siena 3-0 with goals from Cambiasso, Balotelli, and Ibrahimović. However, their win was meaningless in the title race, Napoli had already secured the Serie A championship with two rounds to spare, successfully defending their title.

With the Coppa Italia already in their hands, Napoli had achieved back-to-back domestic doubles for two consecutive seasons.

The entire San Paolo Stadium erupted in celebration.

The only drawback was that, due to the uncertainty before the match, the Italian Football Federation had not sent the league trophy to Naples in advance. As a result, the official title ceremony would be postponed until the 38th and final round of the season.

Fortunately, Napoli would also be playing at home in that match.

After the win over Torino, captain Montervino and Cannavaro, carrying the recently won Coppa Italia trophy, led a lap of honor around the stadium alongside the entire squad, receiving roaring cheers from the fans.

Although the Serie A trophy was not yet in their hands, lifting the Coppa Italia served as a symbolic moment of celebration.

More than 50,000 Napoli fans filled the stadium with deafening chants, urging the team to go one step further to complete the historic treble!