The 2016 Copa del Rey final was a football match played on 22 May 2016 to decide the winner of the 2015–16 Copa del Rey, the 114th edition of Spain's premier football cup since its establishment (including two seasons where two rival editions were played). It was played at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid.
It was won by defending champions Barcelona, who defeated Sevilla 2–0 after extra time to achieve their 28th title. Andrés Iniesta was named man of the match despite Lionel Messi's two assists in both of Barcelona's goals.
As Barcelona won both the 2015–16 La Liga and the Copa del Rey, the 2016 Supercopa de España was also held between Barcelona and Sevilla.
Background
Barcelona had previously played in 37 Copa del Rey finals, second only to Real Madrid's 39, and had a record 27 victories. They were the reigning champions, having defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 in the previous year's final at their Camp Nou.
Sevilla had been to seven finals, winning five, most recently in 2010 when they defeated Atlético Madrid 2–0 at the Camp Nou. Their last defeat was in 1962, 2–1 to Real Madrid. The 2016 final was the first between the two sides.
It was the 13th such final at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid, home of Atlético Madrid. Barcelona previously won the final at the ground in 1968, 1981 and 2012, and lost in 1974 and 1986. It was Sevilla's first final at the stadium, although three of their victories came elsewhere in the Spanish capital.
The two teams began the season against each other in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi on 11 August, which Barcelona won 5–4 after extra time.
Both teams had victories by wide margins on their way to the final; Barcelona scored 25 goals and conceded five in eight games, while Sevilla scored 22 times in their eight matches, conceding only two goals in the second leg of their semi-final.
Route to the final
Barcelona
Barcelona, of La Liga, entered the tournament in the last 32, against Villanovense of the Segunda División B. The first leg in Villanueva de la Serena, on 28 October 2015, was a goalless draw, with manager Luis Enrique fielding a young and inexperienced side. In the second leg on 2 December at the Camp Nou, however, Barcelona triumphed 6–1. Dani Alves opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the fourth minute, and Sandro added a hat-trick and Munir a brace.
In the round of 16, Barcelona played city rivals Espanyol in the Derbi barceloní. They opened on 6 January 2016 with a 4–1 home victory with goals from Lionel Messi (2), Gerard Piqué and Neymar, after the visitors had taken the lead through Felipe Caicedo in the ninth minute. Hernán Pérez and Pape Diop were sent off for Espanyol late on, the latter for dissent. A week later on their trip to the RCDE Stadium, Barcelona won 2–0 with a Munir goal in each half; the young Spaniard started the game due to Luis Suárez's suspension for his part in the post-match skirmish from the first game.
Barcelona met Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals, a repeat of the last year's final. On 20 January at the San Mamés, they won 2–1 with first-half strikes from Munir and Neymar. A week later in the second game, the Basques took the lead through Iñaki Williams, but Barcelona replied in the second half with Suárez, Piqué and Neymar's goals.
In the semi-finals, Barcelona met Valencia and won 7–0 in the home game on 3 February; Suárez scored four times and Messi three. A week later, in the second match at the Mestalla, the hosts took the lead through Álvaro Negredo and Wilfrid Kaptoum equalised late on, stretching Barcelona's unbeaten run to 29 games.
Sevilla
Sevilla, also of La Liga, entered at the same stage against a third-tier opponent, UD Logroñés. In the first leg in La Rioja on 2 December 2015, they won 3–0 through goals by Coke, Michael Krohn-Dehli and Ciro Immobile. Two weeks later, at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, they won 2–0 through goals from Immobile and captain José Antonio Reyes.
Like Barcelona, in the last 16 Sevilla met their municipal rivals, Real Betis. They travelled away for the first game on 6 January 2016, winning 2–0 with a strike in each half by Krohn-Dehli and Grzegorz Krychowiak. Hosting the second leg, they won 4–0; Reyes and Adil Rami struck in the first half and Frenchmen Kevin Gameiro and Gaël Kakuta in the second.