Classic Matches: Valencia vs. Barcelona – 5 from the vault

In the latest of our pieces looking at La Liga history, Mohamed Moallim looks at five classic matches between Valencia and Barcelona ahead of tonight’s big clash

FC Barcelona 3-2 Valencia – 17/6/2001

It’s hard to imagine Barca not being in the Champions League today – as both seem to go together like fish and chips – but for much of the early 21^st Century that was the case.

One of the more dramatic conclusions to a game and season took place at the Camp Nou between the sides. Barcelona who was chasing a Champions League spot knew only a victory over the side they were battling the berth for would guarantee them the spot. Valencia went into the game with 63 points whereas Barça with 60. However due to their head-to-head superiority – winning 1-0 at the Mestalla the previous January thanks to a Frank de Boer goal in the sixth minute – a victory would see the much needed money of playing in Europe’s elite club competition return to the coffers.

With nerves floating in the atmosphere an early goal would ease Serra Ferrer’s side and the capacity crowd and they duly got that through talismanic forward Rivaldo with only three minutes on the clock scored an immaculatefree-kick. Héctor Cúper’s side would not be outdone and worked for their equaliser which came through Rubén Baraja with quarter of an hour gone. This was beginning to be familiar to Valencia’s last win at the Camp Nou in February 1999 though it was Adrian Ilie who gave them the early lead only for Patrick Kluivert to equalise 25 minutes later but Claudio Ranieri’s team did end up 4-2 winners.

One reason why nerves were understandably in the air – despite the situation – most probably was the fresh memory of Valencia’s impressive comeback in the Camp Nou from 3-0 down after 54 minutes to win 4-3 in January 1998. Rivaldo on that day had doubled the home sides lead that day after Luis Enrique had given Barça the lead.

And when Fernando Cáceres put the ball into his own net the three points looked to be sealed. Cue the comeback: four goals in the space of 19 minutes did the damage, Guillermo Morigi then a brace from Claudio López levelled things only for Ariel Ortega in the final two minutes to seal a historic win.

Fast forward to 2001 – and with that memory still in the minds of cules everywhere – Rivaldo would re-establish his sides lead after a brilliant strike from outside the box on the stroke of half-time however a minute later Baraja would again level the scores. With the second half being played in an edgy atmosphere everyone was looking for a hero and he arrived with just two minutes left, Frank de Boer’s punt forward was met by that man Rivaldo, who controlled the ball elegantly with his chest to then execute one of the all-time great overhead kicks and sealing victory and Champions League football.

Valencia 4-1 FC Barcelona – 2/5/2000

A year previous both teams played in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Valencia – under Cúper in his first season – overcame Lazio in an enthralling quarter-final winning 5-3 over two legs (much in part to a 5-2 home win) whereas Barcelona weren’t to be outdone coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Chelsea 6-4.

Like in 1962 the first leg at the Mestalla proved to be the difference and just like then the game momentarily was balanced. Miguel Ángel Angulo – one of the clubs finest players – had given his side the lead only for a Mauricio Pellegrino own goal to hand Barça the away goal advantage.

The previous game – in the season – between the clubs at the ground had ended 3-1 in Valencia’s favour and that was the score when Angulo added a second and Gaizka Mendieta converted from the spot either side of half-time. And to consolidate their superiority Claudio López would add a fourth into added time. The return leg ended in a 2-1 Barcelona win Frank de Boer and Phillip Cocu with the goals for Louis van Gaal after Mendieta goal all but sealed a final in Paris with Real Madrid.

FC Barcelona 3-2 Valencia – 26/10/1996

If Rivaldo’s hat-trick was dramatic and thus legendary given the context of the situation it occurred in then the one from fellow compatriot and world cup winner was sublime in execution during a more relaxed period of the season. Ronaldo, who joined the club in the summer, had begun to weave his magic for Barça that would earn him the FIFA World Player of the Year crown.

His three goals – sandwiched in-between strikes from Patxi Ferreira and Valeriy Karpin – are still celebrated today in Catalunya. All three demonstrated everything that was great about the 20-year-old phenomenon: raw destructive pace and strength coupled with elegant finishing in particular his third. The individual performance more than anything turned him into a household name one defenders afterwards would fear.

Valencia 3-4 FC Barcelona – 20/3/1993

Immortalised in the history of Barça is the fabled ‘Dream Team’ and one of their early imperious wins was an all-round entertaining tussle away to Valencia. In the dugout for both sides were two rivals (though friends off the pitch) Guus Hiddink and Johan Cruyff, both previously clashed when coaching PSV Eindhoven and Ajax respectively in Holland, the former getting the better in terms of the destination of the league. But it wasn’t the case in Spain as Barça would successfully make it a three-peat come the end of the season, whereas Valencia would finish ten points behind them.

As for the game Los Che cancelled out Miguel Ángel Nadal second minute goal through Luboslav Penev from the spot and Fernando Gómez gave them the lead just after half-time. Barca’s response came from Txiki Begiristain and Michael Laudrup who turned the game upside down and now found themselves leading 3-2. However when Álvaro Cervera equalised with 15 minutes remaining many thought the points would be shared but not José Mari Bakero who won all the points for Cruyff’s side with minutes remaining on the clock.

Valencia 6-2 FC Barcelona – 8/9/1962

The first meeting under the guise of European competition between both sides was in the final of the 1962 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup which was the precursor to the UEFA Cup which is now the Europa League.

Although the competition is no longer recognised by Europe’s governing body it doesn’t gloss over the fact the 1962 final between the two Spanish giants was an exhilarating affair.

From the onset of the competitions creation Spanish sides regularly dominated with Barcelona in the first two finals defeating a London XI in 1958 and Birmingham City two years later. The 1962 final was the first between Spanish sides after the relaxation of the ‘one city one club’ rule.

The first leg ultimately decided the fate of the competition and despite after twenty minutes Barça, the visitors, were leading 2-1 thanks to a brace from Sándor Kocsis there was a brief levelling of the scores by Nando Yosu. However that proved to be the only time Ladislao Kubala’s side would be in front a 32 minute hat-trick from Vicente Guillot plus another from Uruguayan Héctor Núñez would hand Los Che an unassailable 6-2 lead. The second leg would end 1-1 with Kocsis and Guillot on the score sheet for their respective sides.

The two clubs would meet again in European competition in the quarter-final stage of the 1979/80 Cup Winners’ Cup, Valencia would win the two-legged affair 5-3 (winning 4-3 at home) and go on to claim their first major piece of European silverware (that is officially recognised by UEFA).

Mohamed Moallim is the man running the historical show on our website, you can see more of his work on Four Four Two as well as his own personal website La Croqueta. You can follow the man himself on Twitter here.

Tags: Barcelona, Cruyff, History, La Liga, Valencia