Valencia 1 - Barcelona 3

Valencia: Cañizares; Revellière, Marchena, Pellegrino, Carboni; Baraja, De los Santos (Borja 68'); Rufete (Juan Sánchez 55'), Aimar, Kily González (Albelda 78'); Carew. 4-2-3-1.
Barcelona: Víctor Valdés; Gabri, Puyol, Frank De Boer, Reiziger; Overmars (Riquelme 80'), Mendieta (Gerard 83'), Cocu, Luis Enrique; Saviola (Sorín 65'), Kluivert. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Valencia: Pellegrino, De los Santos, Rufete, Kily González for Navarro, Ayala, Albelda, Vicente / Barcelona: Gabri, Reiziger, Overmars for Oscar López, Sorín, Rochemback.

Goals:
0-1. 44. Mendieta (penalty). After Mendieta himself fouled in area by Marchena.
0-2. 72. Kluivert (penalty). After Luis Enrique tripped by Carboni in area.
0-3. 78. Overmars. Received pass from Luis Enrique and hit low shot past keeper.
1-3. 87. Juan Sánchez (penalty). After Albelda tripped by Gabri on left of area.

Valencia lost all possibilities of reaching the last Champions League spot after losing 1-3 to Barcelona, and they will have to make do with a place in the UEFA cup next season. Referee Puentes Leira played a big part in the result though, awarding three penalties and sending off two Valencia players during the match. Mendieta was returning to the Mestalla stadium once again, and he won the first penalty after Marchena brought him down and scored it himself just before half time. Carew was sent off for protesting the decision. And then with an hour gone Barça were given a second penalty after Carboni was red-carded for tripping Luis Enrique, and Kluivert made it two from the spot.

With their opponents down to nine men, Barça were cruising, and Overmars took Luis Enrique's pass to score a third soon afterwards. Juan Sánchez got a late consolation, again from the penalty spot after Gabri brought down Albelda, but by then many of the fans had left the stadium out of disappointment. The win keeps alive Barcelona's hopes of reaching the last UEFA cup spot themselves, and with the current incumbent Athletic Bilbao due to visit Real Madrid next week, they must be in with a chance.

The game was overshadowed though by the presidential elections this weekend in both clubs. On Saturday, Valencia's shareholders voted back stand-in president Jaime Ortí, who held off the challenge of Paco Roig. And then as this match was going on, Barcelona's members elected dark horse candidate Joan Laporta by a surprisingly large margin over his nearest rival, Lluis Bassat.