Holder Barcelona will meet Gary Neville's Valencia in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, whilst Sevilla faces Celta Vigo in the other semifinal. Barca and Sevilla will be at home in the first legs with the ties to take place on Feb. 3 and 10. Neville is undefeated in five Cup matches since taking charge last month, but is yet to win in seven games in La Liga. By contrast, Barca is undefeated in 25 games and remains on course to match its treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey from last season. On Thursday, Brazilian-born striker Rodrigo scored a first-half goal to lead Valencia to a 1-0 win over Las Palmas and send the team into the semifinals. Rodrigo found the net from inside the area in the 20th minute to help Valencia advance 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Valencia last week. Sevilla also advanced Thursday thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win over second division club Mirandes, reaching the semis 5-0 on aggregate. Rodrigo scored Valencia's winner after a nice play by Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes, redirecting his cross with a left-footed shot from close range. Las Palmas players complained of offside, but replays showed that the striker appeared to be in legal position. "Our fans deserved to enjoy a moment like this," Neville said. "They have been patient with me and with the team in these past six weeks." Sevilla arrived in the northern city of Miranda de Ebro holding a two-goal lead and its early score all but ended the home side's chances of a comeback. Vicente Iborra opened the scoring after converting a ninth-minute penalty kick, then Juan Munoz added to the lead with a strike in the 70th and Coke Andujar sealed the easy victory with an injury-time header. "Everything was harder after they scored with the early penalty kick," Mirandes goalkeeper Raul Fernandez said. "We did really well in this tournament, eliminating some top teams. Now we have to move on and focus on getting to the first division." — Agencies
