( CNN ) -- Lionel Messi celebrated his second successive world player of the year award with a hat-trick as Spanish champions Barcelona crushed division two team Real Betis 5-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Wednesday night . The Argentina forward , who headed off clubmates Andres Iniesta and Xavi to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or on Monday , proved the difference after the visitors provided stern early resistance . The 23-year-old finally broke the deadlock a minute before halftime with a delightful chip , and the tie was effectively over ahead of next week 's second leg when he completed his treble with 17 minutes to play . Betis deserved better for their first-half efforts , highlighted by Ruben Castro crashing a shot against the crossbar soon after Messi 's opener . Why were EPL players snubbed in all-star selection ? But in the end they had goalkeeper Casto to thank that the scoreline was not even greater as he bravely thwarted a succession of Barca attacks . As it was , Pedro made it 4-0 on 76 with his 13th goal in 14 games after Casto blocked Daniel Alves ' initial effort , and Seydou Keita headed the fifth with seven minutes to play as he rose high to meet Iniesta 's outrageous scooped cross . Midfielder Iniesta also had an assist with Messi 's first , while the second came in the 62nd minute following a pass from David Villa as the diminutive hero of the Catalan crowd squeezed home from an acute angle after Casto beat out his first attempt . Messi took his tally to 31 for the season when he won a one-on-one duel with the keeper , but Casto denied him a fourth from a similar situation before he was substituted . Messi claims World Player of the Year award . Josep Guardiola 's team , seeking a 26th King 's Cup crown , are now unbeaten in 29 matches in all competitions since the shock loss to Hercules in early September . In Wednesday 's other quarterfinal tie , cup holders Sevilla battled back to earn a 3-3 draw away to third-placed La Liga side Villarreal . The home team twice led by two goals , as Cani and Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi made it 2-0 inside the opening half hour . Striker Alvaro Negredo replied with the first of his two goals six minutes before halftime but Marco Ruben restored Villarreal 's advantage 10 minutes after the break . Blatter hails La Liga as 'best in the world ' Negredo leveled on the hour mark and defender Alexis Ruano grabbed a crucial third away goal ahead of the decider at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan . On Thursday , 17-time winners Real Madrid host city rivals Atletico while Deportivo La Coruna travel to Almeria in a clash between two of La Liga 's struggling teams . Inter Milan moved into the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup on Wednesday night as the defending champions won 3-2 at home to Genoa with two goals from striker Samuel Eto ' o . The Cameroon star struck in the 15th minute and again just before halftime with a fierce half-volley for his 21st this season , but Genoa midfielder Houssine Kharja reduced the deficit nine minutes after the break with a penalty following a foul by debutant defender Andrea Ranocchia -- playing against his former club . Kenyan midfielder MacDonald Mariga restored Inter 's two-goal advantage with a header from a corner five minutes later , and Giuseppe Sculli 's reply in time added on was just a consolation . Palermo also progressed into the last eight of the Coppa Italia with a 1-0 win at home to Chievo , as Fabrizio Miccoli scored the only goal from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left .
World player of year Lionel Messi nets treble as Barcelona thrash second division Betis . Argentina forward helps put Barca 5-0 ahead in Spanish Cup quarterfinal tie . TL;DR The U.S. women's national soccer team has won the Women's Gold Cup, beating Japan 2-1 on Sunday to win its first title since 1999. Cameroon striker Samuel Eto ' o scores twice for the defending champions .