Valencia put Barca on the brink of semi-final exit

Barcelona will take comfort, however, from the fact that they have already beaten Valencia 3-0 on home territory in the league this season, a result that would be enough to send the Catalans through to a final against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

Angulo, whose heroic two-goal display had Barca on the ropes by halftime, said his side had played superbly.

“We played some of the best football we have done all season,” said the ecstatic Spanish under-21 midfielder.

“I was a little worried when the score was only 3-1 because we know that Barcelona can come back from that, and a goal away from home is important, but that fourth goal should be a big psychological blow.”

“We are not in Paris yet though. I am sure Barcelona are going to make us suffer a lot in the nou camp, after all they are one of the best teams in Europe as well.”

Valencia, playing with the same attacking fluency that had seen them overwhelm Lazio 5-2 in their quarter-final home match, started at breakneck speed, harrying Barcelona in their own half and looking to expose their opponents’ three-man defence on the flanks.

And their early pressure paid off in the 10th minute as Angulo took advantage of a nervous Barcelona defence.

Mendieta’s persistence won a corner on the right which he took himself, a gentle outswinger.

Neither Ruud Hesp nor the Barca defenders managed to clear properly and Angulo lashed the ball in from around the penalty spot.

Barcelona were stung into action and a Rivaldo header forced a fine reaction save from Canizares a minute later.

Valencia came close to a second on 24 minutes as Kily took a sweeping pass from Claudio Lopez, breaking down the right.

Lopez himself beat Hesp at his far post on the rebound but his `goal’ was ruled out for an earlier foul on Carles Puyol.

If Barcelona were fortunate in that moment they received an even bigger slice of luck to draw level after 27 minutes.

Rivaldo slipped a deflected pass out to Boudewijn Zenden, who skipped past Jocelyn Angloma and sent in friendly near post cross that Patrick Kluivert never looked like reaching.

The ball was there for Canizares to claim but Pellegrino slid in only for his attempted clearance to fly into the net.

Then followed those three desperate minutes from Barcelona at the end of the second half, as Angulo added his second with a near post flick after Kily had got clear down the left again and Mendieta converted the spot kick following a Puyol foul on Cangulo.

With the game heading for a 3-1 finish and a tense night in the nou camp for Valencia, Lopez then struck off a post to leave Valencia on course to knock Barca out of a European competition for the third time in three attempts.