Sevilla brush Celta aside to book Copa final showdown with Barça
Gameiro's two goals in four minutes and Krohn Dehli's killer ended any real hope for Celta Vigo in the Copa Del Rey.
A tight opening to this regal affair at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium reflected the rewards on offer. A seat at the King's table awaits the victor of this two-legged encounter and the initial intensity showed two clubs taking a cup competition seriously. Barca assured a fifth final in six years after disposing of Gary Neville's Valencia with a 7-0 scoreline on Wednesday, and now almost certainly know their rival, albeit with a scoreline and performance not quite as crushingly emphatic.
Unai Emery put his faith in Gameiro before the game to take the Andaulsians into the final of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, barring a miracle at Mestalla, but that faith looked misplaced when the Frenchman's meek penalty was stopped by Ruben Blanco.
Meekly struck, at that mid-height that often means glory for goalkeepers, Blanco spread his big frame to his left to continue a string of successive saves.Unai Emery held his head in his hands, animated as ever, but his belief in his striker was to eventually pay off.
Celta came into this duel brimming with confidence after knocking Atlético Madrid out in the quarter-finals, Guidetti got the nod after his golazo against Atleti at the Calderón, but his teammates struggled to create opportunities for the Swede.
With crack marksman Nolito still out with a calf-injury, and midfield lynchpin Augosto departed to Atleti, ex-Liverpool man Iago Aspas and Guidetti couldn't bear the weight of expectation.
Gomez crashed a header off the crossbar and Hernandez cried penalty, but with half-time looming, Rami rose highest from a corner and bashed it in unmarked at the back post.
Two goals in four minutes put the encounter out of reach for the Galicians, Gameiro rewarding Emery's faith with two fine finishes and Krohn-Dehli sealed the fourth in the 89th minute.
Celta looked a shadow of the team that started this season, but Sevilla managed things professionally, dropping back and punishing their Galician guests for their desperate attempts to reduce the distance.
Celta's early-season promise looks to have peetered out, unless they can conjure something remarkable in the home fixture at Balaidos.
Barcelona vs Sevilla in the Copa del rey final is practically a certainty.
The teams that started for the clash in the Sanchez Pizjuan:
Sevilla: Sergio Rico; Coke, Rami, Kolo, Trémoulinas; Cristóforo, N'Zonzi; Krohn-Dehli, Banega, Vitolo; Gameiro.
Celta: Rubén; Hugo Mallo, Cabral, Sergi Gómez, Jonny; Radoja, Wass, Tucu Hernández; Iago Aspas, Guidetti y Orellana.