Valencia
beat Barcelona 2-1 to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday, ending the Spanish
champions’ four-year winning streak in the competition and denying them a
domestic double.
Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo Moreno struck first-half goals to give Marcelino’s dominant Valencia control of the final in Seville’s sweltering Benito Villamarin stadium.
Record 30-time Cup winners Barcelona struggled without injured forwards Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, but Lionel Messi pulled the Catalans back into the game with a close-range finish.
Goncalo Guedes missed a gilt-edged chance in stoppage time for Valencia, but they held on to win their first major trophy since last lifting the Cup in 2008.
Valencia finished fourth in La Liga after a strong second half of the season, reaching the Europa League semifinals and ending an impressive campaign with this victory.
By contrast, Barcelona’s campaign collapsed in the past fortnight as they threw away a three-goal Champions League semifinal lead to be eliminated by Liverpool before letting the Cup slip out of their hands.
Barcelona was bidding to lift themselves from their humiliation on Merseyside by securing the ninth domestic double in their history, but despite Messi’s efforts, they were overrun by a determined and well-drilled Valencia side.–ESPN
