By David Lee Wheatley
Real Madrid took home the King's Cup after a hard-fought meeting with arch-rivals Barcelona left the Catalan side's season crumbling down all around them.
Having lost to local foes Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions' League quarter-finals, the Blaugrana were hopeful of securing at least one major trophy this campaign in the domestic cup competition they last won in 2012.
The Copa del Rey final appeared delicately poised at 1-1 with just moments remaining inside a packed Mestalla in Valencia when Gareth Bale received the ball on the halfway line and set his sights on goal.
Angel Di Maria handed Real an early lead in the 11th minute, but Barcelona were level just over twenty minutes into the second half through a Marc Bartra header. In fact, Barça were looking the better side as normal time in the tie drew to a close.
However, Welshman Bale had designs on victory when isolating the tiring Bartra one-on-one in his favoured left-hand side area of the pitch. The Barcelona defender was in trouble the moment Bale knocked the ball several yards in front of him and began galloping towards goal; the power on display was extraordinary as he set off on a trademark lung-busting run.
Bartra tried to knock Bale off balance with a shoulder charge, but was unsuccessful in his attempts to stop the flying machine from gliding past him. Bale actually bounced off his opponent so severely that he ended up running off the field of play and into the coach's technical area in order to go around Bartra and reconnect with the ball. It proved just how quick and strong the former Tottenham man is when he literally had to take a round-trip to maintain possession.
Once Bale got back within the boundaries of the pitch, it was a losing battle for Bartra to put in a telling tackle. The world's most expensive footballer zeroed in on the penalty box before toe-poking the ball beyond Barça keeper Pinto to bring the house down in Valencia.
Despite Neymar's best efforts to equalise in injury-time when hitting the post, it was to be Real's night as Bale sealed his first trophy with Los Blancos following a summer switch from Spurs. His strike was worthy of winning any match and seems to have finally confirmed Bale's position at the top table of European football.
It's true that Bale's form and fitness fluctuated wildly at the beginning of his time in Madrid, but it must be remembered that he didn't have any involvement in Spurs' pre-season preparations due to the ongoing speculation surrounding his future in London. Therefore, considering the pressures caused by a protracted big-money transfer and the distinct lack of sharpness on arrival in a new country, it must be conceded that the 24-year-old has been a revelation overall and is only going to keep getting better with time.
Real remain firmly in the mix for both Champions' League and La Liga glory, as the first part of what would be an historic treble has been completed in sensational fashion ahead of the most crucial weeks of the campaign.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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