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Alexis Sanchez admits Valencia made things difficult for Barcelona
The Chile international conceded that los Che created problems for Barca in the Copa del Rey, but was happy with his team's domination and is now looking forward to the final
Feb 9, 2012 8:11:00 AM
By Stefan Coerts
Getty
Barcelona attacker Alexis Sanchez has admitted that Valencia caused the Blaugrana problems in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.
After drawing the first leg 1-1, Barca picked up an early lead in the return clash via Cesc Fabregas, but it took them until the 81st minute to seal the tie when Xavi netted to make it 2-0 on the night.
"We all know that Valencia are a great team and they made it difficult for us. We controlled the game, though, and eventually scored our second goal," Sanchez was quoted as saying on the Barcelona website.
The former Udinese star then looked ahead to the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, and is keen to meet his former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa.
"[Pep] Guardiola and Bielsa are very similar in how they work. Our opponents in the cup final are a good team and we’ll see what happens."
The final takes place on either May 20 or 25, depending on whether Barcelona reach the final of the Champions League.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The last extract looked at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £85.00 | Draw £55.00 | Barcelona £12.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £95.00 | Draw £55.00 | Barcelona £12.90 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £90.00 | Draw £50.00 | Barcelona £13.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £90.00 | Draw £60.00 | Barcelona £12.90 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Bilbao £87.00 | Draw £53.00 | Barcelona £12.50 |
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After drawing the first leg 1-1, Barca picked up an early lead in the return clash via Cesc Fabregas, but it took them until the 81st minute to seal the tie when Xavi netted to make it 2-0 on the night.
"We all know that Valencia are a great team and they made it difficult for us. We controlled the game, though, and eventually scored our second goal," Sanchez was quoted as saying on the Barcelona website.
The former Udinese star then looked ahead to the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, and is keen to meet his former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa.
"[Pep] Guardiola and Bielsa are very similar in how they work. Our opponents in the cup final are a good team and we’ll see what happens."
The final takes place on either May 20 or 25, depending on whether Barcelona reach the final of the Champions League.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The last extract looked at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
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Athletic Bilbao - FC Barcelona
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