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The 100th season of Valencia could not have ended better. Behind the goals of Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo Moreno, Los Che defeated Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final 2-1 to win the trophy for the eighth time.
With Barca's favorites, Valencia scored two goals in the first half, but Lionel Messi's second-half goal allowed Barca to go one step further. Valencia made defensive changes to try to hold on and managed to do just that, preserving luck after luck. This title is the first of Valencia since the Copa del Rey in 2008. Barca, meanwhile, ends the season with the title of La Liga.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
The Valencia plan worked to perfection
The game plan was simple for Valencia and it was the same against the teams that dominate the ball. Sit down, defend in numbers and go quickly on the counter. It is these fast attacks with balls on the top that make this team dangerous, and the first was precisely that. Gameiro played so well on Jose Luis Gaya's ball to put the ball away with force.
At second base, Rodrigo completed a pass from Carlos Soler with a header coming from the close, which was the product of a counter on the right side. That's exactly what Valencia wanted and they played it almost to perfection.
End of season trends continue
The Barca had lost a little in the last straight after losing in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, although he won the La Liga. But with some injuries and perhaps not the best game, Barca does not enter this match with the most momentum.
For Valencia, it was just the opposite. Los Che was in the last half of the table for most of the season, but in the second half of the league, Valencia finished in fourth place to qualify for the Champions League. The team was confident, believer and gave everything in the final, rightly winning the coveted trophy.
Barca has a flagrant hole
Everyone knows that Barcelona has such a strong team and the best player in the world of Lionel Messi. They have also hired real players in Arthur and Malcolm who have a lot of potential, but if there is a black hole, it's the attacker. Luis Suarez missed this match because of an injury and there was no one to replace him. His physical play, his quick finish and his ability to combine with Messi obviously lacked, and that cost the team. It's time to invest in a relief striker who gives Suarez more chances to rest.
Although Barca is not far from breaking the bank for a high-level striker at one point, they have to find the guy who can relieve him. Some names that I would consider are Borja Iglesias (Espanyol) and Jamie Mata (Getafe). They are also not very good players for a club like Barca, but they can do enough in a reserve role in such games.
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