Reuters, SEVILLE, SpainValencia on Saturday beat Barcelona 2-1 to win the Copa del Rey, ending the Catalans’ 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 Estadio Benito Villamarin. Record 30-time Copa del Rey 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 golden opportunity in stoppage-time for Valencia, but they held on to win their first major trophy since last lifting the Copa del Rey in 2008. By contrast, Barcelona’s campaign collapsed in the past two weeks as they threw away a three-goal UEFA Champions League semi-final lead to be eliminated by Liverpool before letting the Copa del Rey slip out of their hands.

Source: Taipei Times May 26, 2019 15:56 UTC