Seville: Valencia were nearly flawless defensively and opportunistic on the counter-attack in a 2-1 victory over heavily favoured FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, a memorable achievement for a side marking their 100-year anniversary.
For Barca, Saturday’s loss was a second major disappointment this month, coming just 18 days after their stunning collapse against Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal. The Catalans-dominated ball possession from the outset at Benito Villamarin Stadium against an opponent that had no interest in competing in that aspect of the game and were focused on getting out quickly on counterattack opportunities.
One of those came very early in the contest when a blunder by defender Clement Lenglet led to a golden opportunity for Valencia forward Rodrigo, whose shot from close range was cleared away by defender Gerard Pique at the goal mouth.
Barca superstar forward Lionel Messi got in on the action in the 18th minute, sending in a low shot that defender Gabriel Paulista did well to clear away for a corner kick.After surviving that scare, the Bats got on the board in the 21st minute on a play in which Jose Luis Gaya received a long pass on the left side and then found Kevin Gameiro, who fired a potent blast from the top of the area past net minder Jasper Cillessen.Barca’s troubles then deepened 12 minutes later when Carlos Soler found just enough space on a fresh counterattack against defender Jordi Alba on the right side to send in a pass to Rodrigo, who bounced in a header from point-blank range.
On the other end of the field, Messi tried his utmost to get his team going and fired a shot from outside the area just before the intermission that goalie Jaume Domenech did well to save.
Barcelona head coach Valverde made a couple of substitutions after the break, sending on Malcom for Nelson Semedo and replacing Arthur with Arturo Vidal in an attempt to bolster an attack that was having to make do without the injured Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele. Both teams had good chances to score in the early part of the second half, with Goncalo Guedes coming close to giving Valencia a 3-0 lead on a shot that went just wide and Messi nearly pulling one back for Barcelona at the 56-minute, a left-footed shot that clanked off the woodwork. (IANS)
