Barcelona's Luis Suarez celebrates scoring the only goal of their Copa del Rey first leg clash against Valencia at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona on Thursday. — Reuters MADRID, Feb 2 (AP): Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez thrived again, leaving Barcelona closer to its fifth straight Copa del Rey final.
Suarez scored a second-half winner off a cross by Messi as Barcelona defeated Valencia 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday.
"They had a good plan (defensively)," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. "It was the team that best defended against us."
The three-time defending champion had difficulty getting past the Valencia defense at Camp Nou Stadium until Messi came through with a great play midway through the second half.
"Every time Messi gets the ball you expect something to happen," Valverde said. "It's a spectacle to watch him. In one improbable play he found a way to make the cross and we scored."
Messi controlled the ball inside the area and calmly carried it toward the end line, attracting three Valencia defenders. As they converged, he sent the ball all the way across the area to Suarez, who was free to score with a firm diving header.
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