Philippe Coutinho 'happy' after scoring first goal for Barcelona, delighted to make it to Copa del Rey final

Philippe Coutinho has expressed his delight after scoring his first goal for Barcelona in his side's 2-0 win over Valencia at the Mestalla as Ernesto Valverde's side progressed to the Copa del Rey final on 8 February (Thursday).

The Brazil international was a transfer target for the Catalan club last summer, when the midfielder was at Liverpool. The Reds were successful in retaining their player, but only till the end of the last calendar year.

Barcelona finally managed to land their target as Coutinho arrived at Camp Nou for a club-record fee of £142m ($198m) in the January transfer window. A thigh injury forced him to wait for over two weeks before making his debut for the La Liga giants.

Coutinho made his debut in the 2-0 win over Espanyol in the Copa del Rey clash on 25 January. Luis Suarez's cross from the left side early in the second half saw the former Liverpool star slide to reach the ball to score his first goal for Barcelona.

"We're really happy to reach the final. For me, it's the first final and it's a very special and important moment. But there's a long way to go until the final," Coutinho told GOL TV, as quoted by the Spanish publication Sport.

"I have been trying to score since the first game I played [for the club] and I am happy to have scored, although the most important thing is that the team won the game and we leave here happy."

Suarez's goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the Copa del Rey first leg of the semi-final clash against Valencia. He also assisted Ivan Rakitic's second goal as Valverde's side progressed to the final of the competition, where they will face Sevilla.

Coutinho played alongside the Uruguayan international at Anfield. He hailed the striker and Lionel Messi for helping him settle quickly with his life in Spain.

"They have made me very welcome from the start. It means that little by little I can keep helping on the pitch," the playmaker explained.