sentences:  Valencia started the championship on the right foot and were top of the league after 10 games.After the Christmas break, however, Valencia started to pay for the top demand that such an absorbing competition like the Champions League requires.After passing the two mini-league phases, Héctor Cúper's team eliminated Arsenal in quarter-finals and Leeds United in the semi-finals, and got ready to face Bayern Munich in the big final; Valencia had reached two European Cup finals in a row.