On Thursday late evening in Spain, the second leg of the King's Cup semifinals took place.
"Valencia" faced "Barcelona" at the "Mestalla" stadium. The Catalans once again proved their superiority against their opponents and with a final score of 3-0, they advanced to the tournament final.
In the first half, there was a fierce battle - both teams had their chances. Both teams were hunting for their goal, but the goalkeepers confidently guarded their nets and kept them dry after the first half.
In the second half, "Barca" stepped up a gear, and Ernesto Valverde's decision played a role - the coach immediately substituted Philippe Coutinho for Andre Gomes after the break.
The Brazilian, who had been looking quite bleak lately, finally delighted the Barcelona fans - in the 49th minute, his precise shot gave "Barca" the advantage in the match and brought them closer to the final. This was Coutinho's first goal in the Catalan team.
"Valencia" now needed two goals. In the 74th minute, the intrigue could have returned, but Jasper Cillessen did not allow it - the Dutchman miraculously saved Jose Gaya's shot from just a few meters away.
Later, the opponents no longer posed a threat to the Barcelona hosts - Ivan Rakitić secured the final result in the match with a goal after a precise pass from Luis Suárez.
"Barcelona" reaches the King's Cup final for the fifth consecutive year and will defend their champion title for the fourth consecutive time. This year's final will see a match against "Sevilla".
Result:
"Valencia" 0 - 2 "Barcelona" (First leg: 0-1, final score: 0-3) 49' [0 - 1] P. Coutinho 82' [0 - 2] I. Rakitić
