MADRID: An under-strength Barcelona set a new club record of 29 games unbeaten to progress to the Copa del Rey final with a 1-1 draw at Gary Neville’s Valencia on Wednesday for an 8-1 aggregate win.

Barca’s place in the final was assured after a 7-0 first-leg rout last week and without their star attacking trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar the under-fire Neville looked set to be handed some relief by Alvaro Negredo’s first-half opener.

However, 19-year-old Cameroonian midfielder Wilfred Kaptoum equalised in the 84th, two minutes into his senior debut, to preserve the European champions’ unbeaten run and deny Neville a much-needed first win in four matches.

Barca, who went through to their sixth final in eight seasons, eclipsed the record of Pep Guardiola’s 2011 squad and will face Celta Vigo or Sevilla in the showpiece match.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2016