Coutinho strikes as Barca reach Copa final

Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal for Barcelona as they beat Valencia 2-0 (3-0 on aggregate) to reach the Copa del Rey final for the fifth season running.

The all-time record holders of the trophy, who are aiming to lift it for the 30th time, saw off Los Che in an exciting clash at a fiery Mestalla, with Ivan Rakitic grabbing the second goal late on to seal the victory.

Rodrigo saw his effort hit the crossbar in the first half for Valencia, but excellent work by Luis Suarez in the 50th minute led to half-time substitute Coutinho sliding in to break the deadlock.

Coutinho, who joined Barca from Liverpool for a club record STG142 million pounds last month, had been on the pitch for less than three minutes when he scored.

"I have been trying to score since the first game and I'm happy, although the most important thing is that the team won the game and we leave here content," Coutinho said.

"[Messi and Suarez] have made me very welcome since the start, I feel increasingly at home in the dressing room and it means that little by little I can keep helping on the pitch."

Suarez again battled his way through in the 82nd to set up Rakitic, who finished calmly to send Barcelona through to the final.

Barcelona, who have lifted the trophy for the last three years, face Sevilla in the final on April 21.