Valencia 4 FC Barcelona 1

FC Barcelona have taken their Champions League ambitions to the brink of failure again with a 4-1 hammering in Valencia.

The Spanish champions lost 3-1 at Chelsea in the previous round but survived by overturning the deficit at the Camp Nou in the return leg. On that night the Catalan home fans held up cards to tell the team what was needed - a 2-0 win. Now the Barca fans must make new cards for the visit of Valencia as their team need a 3-0 win at least to send them to the final in Paris on May 24th.

As many predicted Valencia were simply too good on the night and had a 3-1 lead by half time.

Miguel Angel Angulo put the home team in front in the 10th minute when confusion in the Barcelona defence allowed a corner to drop at his feet. He sent a powerful drive into the net but then Barca took control of the game.

They were allowed back into the match by an own goal from their former defender Mauricio Pellegrino in the 27th minute when he turned a cross into his own net and threatened to use that good fortune to build pressure on the home goal.

Instead Valencia found the attacking quality they have shown throughout the competition to strike twice before the interval.

Angulo connected with a neat Kily Gonzalez cross in the 42nd minute to the near post and captain Mendieta converted a penalty when Angulo was felled in the area by Puyol.

An 88th minute close range finish from Claudio Lopez would seem to put Valencia close to the final and the greatest night in their history but Barca have an away goal again and need to repeat the four man attack to overturn the Valencia lead in the way they crushed Chelsea two weeks ago.

The return of Luis Figo from suspension for the Camp Nou decider could well prove decisive.