Barcelona’s Lionel Messi kisses his wife Antonella Roccuzzo as they celebrate after winning the final of the Copa del Rey. AP Photo

Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, beating Sevilla 2-0 in extra time. Lionel Messi was clearly the star in the remarkably ill-tempered match in Madrid as he provided the assists that enabled Jordi Alba and Neymar finish the Europa League cup winners.

However the unforgettable moment of the night was when Messi kissed his wife Antonella Roccuzzo to celebrate victory.

Messi surely deserved the passionate kiss from Antonella as the Catalan team was severely punished by Sevilla en route victory.

It was an eventful Copa del Rey final that featured three red cards and 12 yellow cards and one bizarre game stoppage for the cramping match referee.

When the final whistle blew, though, Messi stood out as the best player in the park.

Barcelona lift the cup for the 28th time

Sunday’s match did not start off looking like a day to celebrate for the Catalan club. Argentine defender Javier Mascherano took down Sevilla striker Kevin Gameiro in the 34th minute to receive the fastest red card in the history of the Spanish Cup final, according to the ESPN television broadcast.

Making matters worse was an injury to Suarez, who hobbled off less than an hour into the match with an apparent hamstring injury that could put his involvement in the Copa America with Uruguay in jeopardy.

However, Andres Iniesta and Messi offered special magical performances. Messi played a perfectly timed pass for Neymar in stoppage time of regulation, and Banega put in a fateful, last-ditch tackle to stop the Brazilian from getting in on goal unmarked. Banega succeeded in stopping the attack, but as the last defender, the midfield maestro saw red.

Sevilla: though down to nine men gave Barcelona a tough night to remember

Suddenly, Barcelona and Sevilla were both down to 10 men with 30 minutes of added time to come. Considering Gerard Pique’s clean clearances in the back, Sergio Busquets’ tireless tackling in the middle and Messi’s and Iniesta’s magical inspiration in the attack, Barcelona being back level put the Catalans in complete control from that point forward.
(watch Messi’s assist to Jordi Alba:

In the 97th minute, Messi found Jordi Alba with a perfectly weighted ball over the top of the Sevilla’s defense. The left back managed to beat the keeper from a sharp angle, but Messi’s second incisive pass of the game had now provided Barcelona the advantage and clear view to completing the domestic double.

Messi’s influence did not only arrive with his passing. Daniel Carrico’s challenge on the Argentine drew a second yellow and put Sevilla down to nine men with eight minutes remaining in extra time. In effect, Messi had disqualified two of Sevilla’s players and assisted on the pass that gave Barcelona the lead.

As an encore, the little magician from Rosario set up Neymar with a perfectly timed pass that beat Sevilla’s offside trap. Neymar made no mistake as he slotted home to clinch a 2-0 Barcelona victory. In truth, Barcelona could have scored a couple more had Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico not been in rare form.

With the win, Messi and Barcelona earned the club’s 28th Copa del Rey crown to go with its 24th La Liga title.