The Result: FC Barcelona 2-0 Valencia CF
RESULT:
FC Barcelona: 2
Valencia CF: 0
GOALSCORERS:
FC Barcelona: Fàbregas (16′), Xavi (81′)
Valencia CF: (none)
LINEUPS:
FC Barcelona: Pinto, Puyol, Piqué, Mascherano, Abidal, Fàbregas, Xavi, Thiago, Alexis, Messi, and Cuenca
Valencia CF: Diego Alves, Miguel, Rami, Víctor Ruiz, Jordi Alba, Albelda, Banega, Mathieu, Jonas, Feghouli, and Aduriz
SUBSTITUTES:
FC Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Adriano, Bartra, Dos Santos, Iniesta, and Tello
Valencia CF: Guaita, Bruno, Ricardo Costa, Tino Costa, Juan Bernat, Piatti, and Parejo
SUBSTITUTIONS:
FC Barcelona: Alves on for Alexis (86′), Tello on for Cuenca (89′), Iniesta on for Fàbregas (90+2′)
Valencia CF: Tino Costa on for Banega (69′), Piatti on for Jonas (79′), Parejo on for Albelda (85′)
CAUTIONS:
FC Barcelona: Fàbregas (69′), Thiago (82′), Alves (88′)
Valencia CF: Aduriz (22′), Feghouli (45′), Víctor Ruiz (51′), Feghouli (2nd yellow=>RED, 76′)
Image: JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images
Yeah Cesc is really shit. 1 goal and 1 assist against a shitty team like Valencia is not enough. Sell him to HJK Helsinki for 1 euro. Use all the remaining funds that we have to buy Heskey The Great. Also Messi can go to.. Mombasa. He is shit. Slow, shit ballcontrol, and too tall for Barca. Sack the whole team and buy Crouch and Heskey. That's all I have to say. – Icecream of laughter -.-'
if we could get Delap on the right wing instead of alexis that would be super
Yes! Take that Cesc haters! I know these comments were sarcasm replying to people that say he's awful. That perfect touch to Xavi for the second goal was awesome. Looks easy but it's not!
clearly (as someone said below) 15 goals out of 30 games for a guy who is pretty much new, and still getting used to playing in this system with these guys…. not good enough for some people?
Lol exactly!
The other hilarious thing is when people say he's soft (Fabreglass). Anyone remember the diving header against Madrid after running the length of the pitch and slamming his head into the post!
Good point. Scored that goal because of one thing – bravery
playing in the epl has toughened him up… even tho ive heard as a kid he was the same, but still, he has a rough edge to him, he works hard english style which is good
Oh well…what do you expect from bandwagon fans??? Only true-blue Barca faithful cule will cry and rejoice with this team. Up or down, good times, bad times – Visca Barca!!!
Alright it's great that we won this match and Cesc has played wonderful but don't knock the critics because to be fair he has played some dreadful games this season, but it as Pep once said your only as good as your last match in the people's eyes.
As I said many times, even though Cesc & Alexis are pretty good – but I still think they are just nice to have. Barca doesn't really need them.
"Bandito" striker w/ physical presence like Eto'o is much more needed. Llorente is the best solution, Torres (yes, that shitty Torres) will be excellent, Soldado will be also good … even Heskey and Crouch are pretty decent as well.
oh common!!!
And Gerard and Puyi have obvious talent in attacking.
maybe pep would experiment new position with them, pique as centre forward and puyol as right winger?? :p
Cesc has scored 15 goals in 30 official matches for Barcelona. That is a 0.50 goals per games average.
Dejmn Cesc
if he scores 1 more goal until 14th of february i'm gonna win this barca shirt ;D vaaaaamooos cesc <3 i visca barca <3
most chose 16…
then most people will win =p
but then again it's not even sure if he'll score one more goal and to be honest i'd prefer cesc scoring another 5 (or more) goals until 14th feb. because for me it's more important that barca keeps winning than winning one t-shirt myself.
Perfect, the team played almost no mistake, even the goal keeper Pinto did play well.
even pinto ?
pinto is a great keeper.he even has a zamora to his account.dont underestimate him…
1. Quote from #barcastuf : " The refferee so blind!! FIFA should watch this!!" Messi was hold so many times and nothing! 2 yellow cards to Fabregas and Alves for arguing with ref. Clear penalty not given. Wrong offsides. Constanf fouls on Sanchez!
2. Mascherano and Pyuol are rocks! Pique is trying to be a forward.
3. Cuenca works hard but loosing ball too much and holds it too much. Tiago – brillian technically, but sometimes static on the field. He should learn from Xavi to open himself for passes more.
4. Very hard work by Messi and Xavi.
Final note – Iniesta came and the game sparkles in Barca way
thumbs up for me because you use ALWAYS the same nickname! Make an official profile so I can measure your negative score from thumbs down!
i agree. the ref made mistakes but he's just human. it may have affected the game a bit but it's not like he changed the game and turned it against us. one shouldn't forget that pinto could've gotten a red card in the first leg so i guess it's fair like this. also we are barca and not those ridiculous guys dressed in white from the capital who are crying every time the ref does something they don't like.
very happy that iniesta is fit again. i believe everything's gonna get better now.
Whining about ref is the only thing that works against biased refereeing. If we only allow one side of the story to be media headlines, we are destined to be screwed over by the ref every single game. When Valencia moaned about Pinto, did u hear them talk about the point the ref gave them in the league against Barca in the 2-2 when a blatant Barca penalty was not given? No, never… We should never allow our opposition to win the media wars by staying mute. Its a recipe for failure.
right, nobody mentions iniesta in the final minutes. i thought he was sublime, his link-up play with messi was extraordinary, too bad it was like 89 min or something.
the team is getting there! when you consider everything like injuries and fitness, they have been performing amazing miracles already!
which team loses 2/3 from their first choice attackers from the previous season, one of their best midfielders and uses world class DM as a CB… after a crappy pre season where your captain is thought to be finished, and gives kids chances to play… and is still up there in all competitions at this stage of the season??
THIS team!
keep the faith
Yes well said. Only this team!
YES!
Yes! Now is the time! They're competing in all tournaments, they've had a little "down period", but they are still there, still with energy and edge. I'm so impressed!
Cesc: "Final at the Bernabeu? We'll see. Wherever the final will be, it will be a big game. Athletic has a great team."Barcelona will play the Spanish cup final against Athletic Bilbao on 20, 23 or 25 May #fcblive"
If we get to CL final, it means we will have to play 2 finals: CL on May 19th and Copa on 25th!
I just hate the Spanish FA!
just look on the bright side
its just more things to celebrate!
its the problems that come with being the best in the world…. many teams would enjoy having those problems
God's willing I would love that and wouldn't complain
@barcafanir
I don't understand. You don't want them to play the final? I get it, the date, but when else do you want to play it? There are no free dates left.
And it's a final. And finals should be played at the end of the season, not in mid April.
why isn't the date decided yet? something to do with CL?
We missed Puyol, the rock of gibraltar. He is absolutely super and is having a fantastic season, i can see why Alves was dropped. Pinto was good as well, except for those two moments of madness. It was a fabulous win, although we missed a boatload of chances and D.Alves was wonderful, should at least have won 4-0
go to goal.com, you will find so many friends there, that share your views.
Some bright moments: Messi-iniesta interchange, Thiago's Spin, Puyol bicycle kick, Fabregas wonderful touch-goal, Fabregas wonderful caress-assist, Mascherano-Pique-Puyol combo in attack
haha
love the mascherano-pique-puyol 
it would have been the goal of the year! 
Also the moment where small Messi goes through the wall of defenders….
u forgot abidals duel with another defender, running the whole length of the pitch, protecting the ball and wanting to cross, only to realize that he ran too fast and no-one is in the box yet
Nearly a goal for Piqué and assist for Puyol. That would have been awesome!
So pleased to see Piqué play with flair today. Pique is Piqué again!
Masch was unbeatable, and Puyol had been drinking from the fountain of youth.
Abidal was solid as usual
that is how pique should be played. with forward runs from time to time and if hes in a good position or the opponents are out of positions. the team also seems more dynamic with him running forward and opponents are often surprised. and if he keeps doing this successfully his self confidence will keep improving.
Gotta love this man, Messi…Epic assist that first goal was…Am like, WOWWW!!!…And when he missed that little chip that slightly missed the post, the only thing that distinguished him from another child when he sat there is that he is Messi…He looked so much like a li'l kid…
Are you so desperate for some kind of a response? It is just pathetic and childish.
yes!! he looks like wondering to himself and the way he thinks, he looks and his eyes definitely a child's eyes. Exciting, determined and yet joyful to watch!!
Great game! great performance by the team, and respect to valencia who opened up and didn't park the bus.
Fabregas proved his critics wrong with a fabulous goal and an assist. Messi improved ALOT since last game, yes he is still unlucky in front of goal but he started doing those runs again without losing the ball.
and the most important thing is that DON ANDRES is baaaack!
frankly they had no other choice but to attack. 0-0 wouldn't have helped them.
i always enjoy reading your point of view
mainly because reality is the exact opposite of what you think. its very interesting
Wonderful performance by the team, well deserved win! I enjoyed the game so much, there were some really beautiful solutions, pure Barcelona football, and I belive all of them did great! Whatever will we win or not at the end, this team has a magic no other has… and for me that's the most important.
Yes very lucky… Lucky to have the best players and the best team.
Lucky? Hardly, Diego Alves carried Valencia on his back today.
Yea Diego Alves played amazing those two games
So much good stuff tonight! But I must say that Thiago was a monster. I loved him tonight! And Cuenca!
i loved thiago too , he will be like xavi , but tello is better than cuenca
geeezzz…u watch match from early 2000's or what??…come here, i had unused TV and antenna for u, so u can see todays match.. -,-''
OT: Fabio Capello resigned as England Manager 2 hour ago.
lets make capello as our coach!
Mascherano is too gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood .and thiago abidal puyol pique fabregas messi was unlucky.what a great game
lucky !
if we had luck today we would have won at leas 5 not 2
visca el baraca
that was truly a beautiful game…open and full of chances on both sides ( especially for barca of course). Diego Alves had a spectacular game and was man of the match for me….as for barca, the whole team was just wonderful to look at. So many stellar moments in this game. Even Pinto did a really excellent job today.
The 2 assist where just brilliant, followed by impeccable precision by the 2 goal scorers. Puyol is amazing….fights for every ball. Masch is a wall and Pique found a bit of his groove back.
Messi missed but boy did he create!
Fab with 14 goals and 12 assists….how is that bad??
alexis and tello…beasts! watch out Pedro and Villa. you might just bout now.
Xavi was great but he could do better truthfully.
and of course Thiago is a jewel….my god what a talent!
i am damn so happy for us! Valencia made me quake on my seat at 1-0 up. And Diego alves- he didn’t have a bad game afterall as i predicted- so many heroic saves- cesc and messi would have easily bagged hattricks each against another keeper.
Generally, the match was lively and everybody enjoyed themselves.
valencia always play the same way against barca.It's predictable now and I love the way guardiola slowed them on left flank.Recently it was very frustating to see all goals scored in similar fashion(through mathieu who does not perform elsewhere) by valencia .
copa del Rey gonna be another championship for our legendary team
thiago was perfect and Carles Puyol represent Catalonia spirit
guardiola i love you more ( mentality man )
It's gonna be a good final, but Bilbao won't have the rain and that dreadful pitch this time. Did anyone see the other semifinal and the state of that pitch in San Mames. Dreadful.
does anyone remember the bicycle kick-photo from puyol before the match ? everyone said he's practicing for something and when i saw him doing this bicycle kick against jordi alba i really had to smile. puyole is pure awesomeness
but so is any other player from barca. love them all so much <3 looking forward to the final (:
visca barca <3
Last week, Puyol broke out the double spin move. This week, it was the bicycle kick. The man is a great footballer and entertainer!
against osasuna he'll score a messi goal
Well done. The Team played well today almost no mistake. Glad to see Iniesta back in Action!
guys where is the final??? pls dont say its in bernabeu
why not? i think we have a better record there than at home
Before anyone start hating on me , I’m one of the biggest fans of alexis , I think he is at the perfect team for him, he has the barca DNA but today and in some other games he was very wasteful lost the ball frequently and is unable to on defenders , is it some self esteem issue ?
Hopefully not , is he happy in Barcelona ?
i hate you
You can't make that comment.
@Zboston Alexis may not have scored himself but he did whatever PEP had asked him to do and that was clearly seen by the smile on Alexis face, when Pep gave him a big hug after he was subbed.
Self esteem issue ? Is he happy at Barca ? Come on now !
the only player that wont be happy to play at barca, including even the RM player?? Guess who?? here's the hint. Last name is something like Ibra…..crap.
again im a big alexis fan and do believe in his talent, i dont want him anywhere else , but i think those questions were valid ?
nah man you got it all wrong. alexis from what ive read and heard is very happy in the dressing room. and i read about him almost every on chilean papers and websites. he is happy doing what the coach is telling him to do which showed on yesterdays match when he was substituted. i dont get it why you wanna throw gasoline to a fire that doesnt exist?
Great.But i still want an Eto'o like striker who can score 20-30 goals a season.And some physical presence is needed to fight off amdrids bullies too.
That sounds like Fabregas but he’s a playmaker too..
I'm from Mongolia I Love BARCA
Great win and a nice match again, but it didn't come easy! Credit to Valencia, they deserved a goal and gave it all. I think the red card in the end broke their spirit, you could see the bottle was empty after that + before the sending off they looked really dangerous on the left wing(Barca's rightwing). Barca struggled a bit with their pace, especially on Barca's right wing..
Pinto made some great saves, thanks to him Valencia did not score immediately after the break, which could have been a turning point.
Barca were almost punished for not coming fresh and sharp on the pitch after the break, the same happened against Madrid, when they were really punished for their sloppy attitude after the break and let the match slip out of their hands.
Barca looks vulnerable with ball loss at the moment. I miss a little bit the Barca which immediately recuperates after they lose the ball and close in on their opponents and doesn't give their opponents space to break out.
Great to have Sanchez who keeps giving the opponent trouble with his pace, I think he should even be able to take advantage of that more. Also really nice to see some new talents on the pitch the last weeks. Suddenly, out of the blue, we have Cuenca regarly being part of the team, and now this Tello with his great pace shows up in the last matches. Last season there was this talk about Thiago maybe not going to renew his contract and move to another club and now this fantastic player looks really happy and well integrated into the selection.
I hear talk about new players who might come to the Nou Camp next season, but I really enjoy to see new players from Barca's own training grounds coming through at the moment. That keeps the first team sharp and fresh and for us spectators it is simply fantastic so see new talented players every time.
All credits to Guardiola and his staff!
maybe it sounds weird but Barca could be the only team to "resucite" El Nino! Chelsea dont realy have a style of play and they always try new things every game! If that man gets service from messi iniesta xavi thiago fabregas all day, damn we could see the torres of old! he needs HUGE confidence booster and i think its only barca that can do it! BTW barca also need a powerfull still quite fast forward. cuz Zlatan had the skills he was too slow, torres has good height and he is pretty quick! anyways just sayin ;p
his first touch is terrible and has been since the wc, which is what 2 years now? i dont think he will ever resucite tbh
torres better than messi..
lol !! joke of the millineium !! its not onli torres , there is no player better than messi right now !!
lol you really are a troll… saying that a guy that has 4 goals so far in the season is better than one that has 37 goals is a complete joke. lol Torres can only dream of reaching Messi's level. He's not even a little bit close. Hell even when he was on form Torres was not even close to how good Messi his. Messi is being compared to the likes of Pele and Maradonna while Torres is being called one of the biggest flop and waste of money in the game.
Next time you make comments try to make some that actually make sense. Stop your foolish and idiotic comments please.
lol, you guys are so freaky funny..i think i am better than messi too……