Philippe Coutinho reacts to his first Barcelona goal as the Catalans beat Valencia to set up a Copa del Rey final against Sevilla in April and thanked to Luis Suarez for setting up his first goal at his new club.
Coutinho opened the scoring only minutes after he came on as a substitute during Barca’s 2-0 win against Valencia, and the 25-year-old Brazil international was delighted with the impact he made at Mestalla.
Ivan Rakitic added a second goal late on as Ernesto Valverde’s side, who have now lost just one of their last 36 games, progressed to the final with a 3-0 aggregate win.
“My first goal for Liverpool was also set up by [Suarez],” said Coutinho, recalling his first Premier League goal against Swansea City on Feb. 17, 2013. “I hope I can help him and Leo [Messi] to score goals, too. They have been great since I got here and they’ve helped me fit in from the start.
“I feel really happy because I have been looking for that first goal since I got here — and finally I’ve got it,” Coutinho told Gol TV after the game.
“More importantly, though, it was able to help the team reach the final. For me, it will be my first final [with Barca] and it’s an important moment.
“It’s a special thing to reach a final and I am sure it will be a great game, but also a difficult one, like all finals are. But we have time to prepare for it. Before then we have a lot of games, so that’s where our focus is now.”
Coutinho hopes to net his first La Liga goals against Getafe at Camp Nou on Sunday.
