Barcelona Defeats Valencia 2-0 to Advance to Copa del Rey Final

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Feb 8, 2012

Barcelona Defeats Valencia 2-0 to Advance to Copa del Rey FinalBarcelona defeats Valencia 2-0 to advance to the Copa del Rey final.

Barcelona will meet Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final after defeating 10-man Valencia 2-0 with goals by Cesc Fabregas and Xavi Iniesta in Camp Nou.

Barcelona took a decisive 1-0 lead in the first half with a great counterattack goal from Cesc Fabregas that was able to beat the Valencia keeper in the 16th minute.

Despite various opportunities, Barcelona was able to convert due to the superb play of the Valencia keeper to keep the lead to a minimum at halftime.

Valencia came out strongly in the second half, but both the Barcelona defense and Pintos were able to keep the goal clear as time progressed in the Copa del Rey semifinal.

In the 58th minute, a mistake by Pinto almost resulted in a goal by Valencia, but Javier Mascherano was able to intervene at the last second to clear the ball.

In the 62nd minute, Lionel Messi was alone in front of the goal, but a superb save by the star of the match Diego Alves again kept the away team in the game.

In the 75th minute, Feghouli was ejected for an elbow against Carles Puyol, leaving his team not only a goal down but also a man down for the last 20 minutes of the game.

In the 80th minute, Xavi Hernandez added another goal for Barcelona, entering alone on the right side of the box and finishing perfectly to the opposite post.

Terra will also provide coverage for the Copa del Rey final to take place in late May. With Real Madrid pulling away from the action in La Liga, Barcelona is more committed than ever to win the Domestic Cup — a Cup usually not a priority for the bigger sides in Spain.

Don't miss any of the action with Terra's quality coverage of the Copa del Rey that will include videos, highlights and game stories.

For more sports news, visit Terra.com

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