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Valencia salvage away draw with Betis in Copa del Rey tie

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Seville (Spain), Feb 8 (IANS) Valencia fell behind 0-2 to Real Betis in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie before rallying for a 2-2 draw.

Roughly 700 Valencia supporters were among the more than 57,000 people in the stands at Sevilla’s Benito Villamarin stadium on Thursday for the contest between the two evenly matched opponents separated by just 2 points in La Liga, reports Efe news.

Betis suffered a setback in the 10th minute when defender Marc Bartra, who failed to finish last weekend’s La Liga match against Atletico Madrid due to injury, found himself unable to continue.

The departure of Bartra, who was replaced by Javi Garcia, seemed to create a greater opening in the midfield for Valencia and the visiting side threatened on successive occasions approaching the half-hour mark.

But Betis keeper Joel Robles proved equal to the challenge, thwarting Rodrigo Moreno and Santi Mina, and the first goal of the night belonged to the hosts.

In the final minute of the first-half regulation time, Sidnei da Silva flicked on a Sergio Canales cross to Loren Moron, who headed in to put Betis up 1-0.

Joaquin Sanchez doubled the advantage for Betis nine minutes into the second half with a so-called Olympic goal: a corner kick that enters the net without any intervening touch.

Chief official Carlos del Cerro Grande confirmed the goal after consulting with the video assistant referee (VAR), which seemed to amplify the negative impact on Valencia’s collective psyche.

As the match entered the final 30 minutes with Betis in hot pursuit of a third goal, Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral went for a double substitution: Geoffrey Kongdobia for Francis Coquelin in midfield and Kevin Gameiro for Mina up front.

The Valencia reaction began to take shape in the 70th minute with a goal by Denis Cheryshev that energized the squad.

The Russian had a chance to bring his team level minutes later, but his header bounced off the post, and it was left to Gameiro to secure the draw with a goal in stoppage time.

The 2-2 deadlock in Seville follows Wednesday’s 1-1 draw between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the other semi final first leg, generating plenty of suspense ahead of the respective second legs on February 27-28.

Among the final four, Barça – going for a fifth consecutive title – have won the Copa del Rey 30 times, while Real Madrid have hoisted the trophy 19 times.

Betis are two-time winners, most recently in 2005, and Valencia have seven Copa del Rey championships to their credit.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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