There will be no final at home for Real Betis Balompie.
The team’s Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville is to host the Copa del Rey final, but Betis will not be there after being eliminated by Valencia in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Valencia won 1-0 to reach the final for the first time in more than a decade, where they are to play Barcelona on May 25.
Photo: AFP
Striker Rodrigo scored a second-half winner for Valencia, who advanced 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw at Betis three weeks ago.
“We wanted to be in this final and we were confident that we had the team to make it,” Betis defender Marc Bartra said. “Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go the way you expect in football.”
Valencia, celebrating their centennial, had not made it to the final since they won the last of their seven Copa titles in 2008.
“We played a very complete series and deserved to advance,” Rodrigo said. “It’s great to be able to reach this final in such a special year for the club.”
Betis needed to score after conceding twice in the first leg at home, but it was Valencia who struck first at their Mestalla Stadium, when Rodrigo found the net from close range after a pass by Kevin Gameiro in the 56th minute.
It took a while for Rodrigo’s goal to be confirmed, but a video review eventually determined there was no offside in the build-up.
Gameiro had scored the stoppage-time equalizer in the first leg, when Valencia trailed by two goals early in the second half.
Valencia and Barcelona drew both matches they played in La Liga this season.
“We will face a great team with a player who makes the difference,” Rodrigo said. “But we played two very even matches against them this season and could have actually beaten them. It’s a final, in one match, so anything can happen.”
Valencia were eliminated by Barcelona in last year’s Copa semi-final. They also fell to the Catalan club in the last four in 2012 and 2016.
Barcelona are to be trying to win an unprecedented fifth straight Copa title and 31st overall — the most by any club.
Valencia had a dismal start to their season, winning only one of their first 13 matches in all competitions, but they have hit their stride, moving closer to the European spots in La Liga and reaching the last 16 in the Europa League.
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