Barcelona will be favorites to advance going to the Camp Nou, but Valencia did enough in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey clash to keep things interesting.
Valencia Vs. Barcleona, 2012 Copa Del Rey: Los Che Do Enough To Grab Draw
The major controversy came in the opening 15 minutes, when Barcelona keeper Jose Manuel Pinto rushed out to clear the ball away from Roberto Soldado. He clearly handled the ball outside of the 18-yard area to deny a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the striker, but the referee missed the incident.
Valencia would strike first, however, on a fantastic counter-attack. Jordi Alba started the move with a great long ball down the left flank, which Jeremy Mathieu got onto with an overlapping run. He played a cross into the center which was met by Jonas, who calmly slotted a finish into the back of the net.
Read Article >Valencia Vs. Barcleona, 2012 Copa Del Rey: Lineups
Valencia Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alves; Miguel, Rami, V. Ruiz, Mathieu; Albelda, Banega; Piatti, Jonas, J.Alba; Soldado
Barcelona Starting Lineup (4-3-3): Pinto; Puyol, Piqué, Mascherano, Abidal; Busquets, Thiago, Fabregas; Sanchez, Messi; Cuenca
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