Barcelona 1-2 Valencia: Gameiro and Rodrigo earn the Copa del Rey
Valencia overcame Barca to win the cup for the first time since 2008
Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo were on target for Valencia as they beat La Liga champions Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday.
It ended Barca’s four-year winning streak in the tournament in their sixth consecutive final, while Valencia won their first major trophy since 2008 when they last lifted the cup.
Gerard Pique cleared a Rodrigo effort off the line early on and it was a sign Barcelona were in for a tough time against Marcelino’s men.
Kevin Gameiro slammed in Jose Gaya’s cross to break the deadlock and then Rodrigo headed home Carlos Soler’s ball to double the lead.
Barca fought back in the second half after Malcom was brought on but although Lionel Messi struck from close range and hit the post, the Catalans could not get the equaliser they craved, losing the chance to win their 31st Copa and ninth domestic double.
“Valencia are worthy champions and it's also been a good year for us,” said Pique.
“It's always a good year when you win La Liga but the expectation was to have an even better year and that's not been the case. The season ends with a bittersweet feeling, because it could have been better.
“We aren’t worrying about the manager's future, we must analyse ourselves and try to improve. The other decisions aren't in our hands, but we've said more than once that we would like him to stay on.
“When you don't win and you have players missing, you can blame it on that, but I don't think there's any worthy excuse today. We're Barça and we are obliged to win everything, especially against Valencia. Congratulations to them, though, and we will come back next season and try and win every trophy."
