#5 Rivaldo vs Valencia 2001
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It was the final game of the La Liga season 2000-01 when Barcelona met Valencia in a game that would decide who would qualify for the subsequent season of the UEFA Champions League. One man who dominated the proceedings on the evening was the Brazilian Rivaldo, who proved to be too hot to handle for the Valencia defence.
Rivaldo opened the proceedings in the 4th minute when he curled home a free-kick from outside the box to beat the Valencia keeper. His and Barcelona’s 2nd goal of the evening came in the first added minute of the first half when he thundered home a shot from outside the box.
However, it was not an easy outing for Barcelona as Valencia equalled on both occasions and it was left to a pure moment of brilliance by the Brazilian attacker to settle the game. With just over a minute to play for in the 2nd half, a ball was chipped towards the Valencia box in a desperate moment to find the winner. What followed was a moment that has grabbed the youtube views ever since. Rivaldo controlled the ball on his chest before acrobatically beating the Valencia keeper with a fierce overhead kick.
Needless to say, Barcelona won the game and qualified for the subsequent season of the UEFA Champions League and Rivaldo’s heroics on that evening ensured that it was the finest hat tricks ever scored by a player in the Barcelona colours.
