One title in bag, two to go as Barca rout Bilbao
VALENCIA, Spain, May 13 (Reuters) - Three goals in a devastating nine-minute spell at the start of the second half saw Barcelona to a 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the King's Cup final on Wednesday and the first of three possible titles.
Yaya Toure levelled for Barca in the first half before Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Xavi struck after the break to give the club their 25th King's Cup.
The Catalans could wrap up the Primera Liga title this weekend and they face Manchester United in the Champions League final on May 27.
"The title is a reward for the players and all the people who have worked so hard to get us here," Guardiola told reporters.
"Now we need to win the league as soon as possible so we can can prepare well for the Champions League final in Rome."
Barca had an unfamiliar look in defence with reserve keeper Jose Manuel Pinto in goal and Yaya Toure at centre back again, and they were quickly exposed at a set piece.
Pinto had tipped a Javi Martinez shot round the post and Fran Yeste made it count. His whipped-in corner after nine minutes found Gaizka Toquero rising above two defenders to head in at the back post.
Athletic looked fresher, snapping at Barca all over the pitch, until Toure stepped up to level in spectacular fashion as he advanced out of defence.
STUNNING RESPONSE
The Ivory Coast midfielder went past three Bilbao players in the 31st minute, and from outside the area drilled a low shot inside the near post.
Gradually Barca asserted themselves and as they swarmed round the Bilbao area in the 55th minute it was Messi who struck, firing through a crowd of legs after Gorka Iraizoz could only parry Samuel Eto'o's shot.
Three minutes later, Bojan raced through on a break to score off the far post and with Bilbao reeling Xavi curled a superb freekick over the wall and in off the near post in the 64th.
Just before Xavi's goal the match was held up briefly after Barcelona defender Daniel Alves was hit on the head by a tin can thrown from the stands.
Alves was able to continue and television pictures showed police leading a fan away.
Athletic, who have won the cup 23 times, were a broken team after that, but earn a place in next season's Europa League with Barca's place in the Champions League assured for next year.
Bilbao's Spain striker Fernando Llorente told Radio Marca: "In the first half we had some chances, but in the second half they were much better.
"We did what we could, but we were up against one of the teams who will go down in history."
Barca primed to claim second trophy
Barcelona could be crowned Primera Liga champions without kicking a ball on Saturday, if second-placed Real Madrid fail to beat Villarreal at the Madrigal (2000 GMT).
Click Here
The Champions League finalists, who routed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 to lift the King's Cup on Wednesday, have an eight-point lead with three matches left and also hold the head-to-head advantage over their arch-rivals.
"We are taking it one step at a time and on Sunday we'll be looking for the second title," Barca defender Gerard Pique said after their cup final victory.
A disillusioned Real have second place assured but have been battered 6-2 and 3-0 in their last two outings. If they win, Pep Guardiola's side only need a point from their trip to Real Mallorca on Sunday (1700) to complete the job.
The Catalans may have had to put their celebrations on hold last Sunday when Villarreal snatched a 3-3 draw at the Nou Camp, but they still managed to set a new record for the highest points tally in a 20-team top flight, moving on to 86 points.
They are now just four goals short of the record 107 scored in a season by John Toshack's Real Madrid in the 1989/90 campaign.
With first and second all but decided, attention switches to the race for the two remaining slots for Europe's elite competition and the relegation battle.
Sevilla are four points clear in third on 63 and have their hands on the last automatic Champions League qualification place. They visit relegation-threatened Osasuna on Saturday (1800).
One of the weekend's most intriguing matches sees fourth-placed Valencia (59) visit the Calderon on Sunday (1900) to play fifth-placed Atletico Madrid (58).
The ever-unpredictable Atletico came from 2-0 down with ten men to beat in-form Espanyol 3-2 last weekend, with Diego Forlan leading the fightback.
The Uruguay striker has scored 27 goals this season, one fewer than the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o, and goes head-to-head with Valencia's leading marksman David Villa, who has 25.
Unai Emery's visitors were rampant in beating Real 3-0 last weekend but have been hit by suspensions to captain Carlos Marchena and midfielder David Silva.
At the foot of the table, bottom club Numancia host 19th-placed Recreativo Huelva on Sunday (1500) with a victory vital for either side if they are to avoid the drop.
Numancia (32), Recreativo (33) and Sporting Gijon (34) occupy the bottom three below Osasuna and safety on 36.
