Barca on course for Cup final

By Daily Sports on February 2, 2018

Barcelona beat Valencia 1-0 on Thursday thanks to a diving header from Luis Suarez to stay on course for a place in the King's Cup final for a record fifth consecutive year.

Suarez broke Valencia's resolve in the semifinal first leg by leaping to meet a cross from Lionel Messi in the 67th minute, scoring a 12th goal in 10 games in all competitions to leave Valencia needing to win by two goals in next Thursday's second leg at Mestalla to advance to their first final in a decade.

Despite being a Cup semifinal against one of the top teams in the league, only 50 000 fans made it to Barca's 99 000-capacity Nou Camp stadium after heavy rain throughout the day.

"We dominated the play but they had a plan, which was to leave here with a result that kept the tie open and they defended well. It's not a big advantage and there's still a long way to go in the tie," Barca coach Ernesto Valverde told reporters.

Valencia were trounced 7-0 on their last Cup visit to Barcelona when Gary Neville was in charge and coach Marcelino opted for a cautious approach, with his side having under 20 percent possession at one point in the game.

The visitors' best chances came from distance strikes at goal, with Martin Montoya and Francis Coquelin narrowly missing the target either side of halftime.

"It's not a good result for us but we deserve credit for how we competed," Marcelino said.

"It makes the tie very difficult but keeps it alive. We're going to fight with all our strength to win the tie. It might seem impossible but we'll try and pull off a miracle." © Reuters

•Photo shows Ernesto Valverde.

 

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 2, 2018


 

You may also like...
Iran’s Only Female Olympic Medallist Defects

Majestic Messi secures Argentina World Cup final spot...

Gov Makinde’s Solid Support And 3SC’s Return To...

Dominant Roger Federer far too good for Nick...

Newcastle In Takeover Talks With Singapore Investors

Breaking News: Deutsch Resigns As Abia Warriors Technical...

 

Latest News Hearn slams Ngannou over Joshua defeat excuse Chelsea eye Martinez to replace Osimhen Visa unveils Amusan, Nwachukwu as global ambassadors I’m not under pressure to coach Eagles – Finidi Super Eagles focused on World Cup qualifiers – Omeruo Ibrahim: Striker who wants to emulate Lukaku at Chelsea Boniface ranked best African performer in Europe Napoli may reduce Osimhen price tag Mali beat Nigeria 2-0 in international friendly NOC commends Team Nigeria, government, media for victory at African Games JOF U-13 Cup: 8 Clubs Qualify For Quarterfinals Osimhen resumes training, fit for Atalanta clash

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (53,386 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (44,393 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (42,543 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (42,214 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (41,999 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (41,877 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (41,760 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (41,218 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (40,267 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (39,179 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (37,627 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (37,205 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media