MADRID — Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez thrived again, leaving Barcelona closer to its fifth straight Copa del Rey final. Suarez scored a second-half winner off a cross by Messi as Barcelona defeated Valencia 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday. Valencia is always strong, especially in a Copa semifinal.”It was a much better result for Valencia compared to the last time it faced Barcelona in the Copa semis two years ago, when it lost the first leg 7-0 at Camp Nou. “We knew it was going to be difficult to play here against the best team in the world,” Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista said. “It may look impossible but we will go for it.”Valencia is trying to win its eighth Copa title, and the first since 2008.

Source: National Post February 01, 2018 22:45 UTC