Barcelona 1-0 Valencia - 5 Talking Points
Scoreline: Barcelona 1-0 Valencia
Goalscorers: Luis Suarez (67th minute)
Ernesto Valverde's men have taken an advantage over opponents Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Nou Camp. The Blaugrana mustered a 1-0 win in their home leg courtesy of a Luis Suarez header in the second half and dominated the proceedings till the end.
Lionel Messi asked a few questions to the Valencia defenders on the night and it was his driving run that provided the hosts their breakthrough in the 67th minute. Luis Suarez found the back of the net with his head after connecting with an inch-perfect cross from Barcelona's talisman.
The second leg will be held at the Mestalla next week as Barcelona continue to dominate on all fronts. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the five key talking points from the game:
#5 Valencia contained Barcelona in the first half
Barcelona came into the game as strong favourites and looked quite the same for a majority of the period. They were effortlessly smooth while going forward and quick to win the ball back whenever they lost hold of it. Valencia, like any other team, were on the back-foot as they continued to weather the storm.
Marcelino's men managed to keep Messi and Co. at bay up until halftime despite the hosts dominating possession and pushing for openings. Valencia put bodies behind the ball and kept their shape throughout the first forty-five minutes to head into the break at even.
Barcelona picked up from there eventually but were contained very well by the visitors, who did well to almost nick something out of the game.