SEVILLE. Real Betis won the Spanish King’s Cup on Saturday by beating Valencia 5-4 on penalties in Seville after a thrilling final that ended 1-1 after extra time.
Valencia’s Yunus Musah shone in the penalty shootout, giving Juan Miranda the opportunity to score the winning penalty at La Cartuja as Betis lifted the fourth major trophy in the club’s 115-year history.
Borja Iglesias had headed Betis ahead but Hugo Duro equalized for Valencia before the break and neither of them could find victory, neither in the second half nor in extra time.
But Musah’s mistake and Miranda’s cool head gave Betis the cup for the third time, in his hometown, after the club’s previous two wins in 1977 and 2005.
Betis captain Joaquín lifted the trophy after it was presented to him by the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
“I have tears of emotion, tears of joy,” Joaquin said. “It’s what we all wanted, to win a cup again, the Copa del Rey, as beautiful as we know it is”.
Joaquín, the 40-year-old winger, who made his debut with Betis at the age of 19 in 2000 and played in the final 17 years ago, came on in the 86th minute and scored from a penalty. Whether he decides this is a fitting end now to what has been a remarkable run remains to be seen.
“I’m going to enjoy the moment,” Joaquin said. “We are champions of the Copa del Rey and we dedicate it to all the people who have been with us: coaching staff, masseuses, chefs, waiters, all those people whose work is not seen but deserves as much credit as we do”.
Many had heralded this as a clash of styles, with Betis’ fearless approach tasked with breaking Valencia’s courage and resistance, but in reality both teams contributed equally to an open and exciting final.
“Football can be beautiful and it can also be cruel. It hurts,” Valencia’s José Gaya said.
It was only the second final in 14 years that did not include any Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atlético de Madrid and although Betis and Valencia are hardly minnows in Spain, there was no doubting the weight of the occasion for both clubs.
Valencia won the Copa del Rey in 2019, beating Barca in the final, but a forced sale of key players under the controversial ownership of Peter Lim means the side have been more concerned with relegation in recent seasons than winning trophies.
Betis, meanwhile, have been in the second division for three seasons since they last won it in 2005, the same year they finished fourth in LaLiga, which they still hope to replicate this season but have never managed to repeat since then.
Betis flew out of the screens and took the lead in the 11th minute, a deft move down the right seeing Nabil Fekir slide past Hector Bellerin who sent an excellent cross into the box. Borja jumped high and headed straight, the power of the connection was enough to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Valencia trembled and Betis kept coming. Borja headed wide and then nearly caught on a back pass from Mouctar Diakhaby, which required Mamardashvili to clear.
But Betis’ onslaught subsided and Valencia scored in the 30th minute, a brilliant counterattack that gave them a footing in the final. Carlos Soler deflected a superb pass from the right wing to midfield, where Ilaix Moriba had space to advance.
Duro was running away but the gap was narrow, Moriba passed the ball to his teammate, who finished off a delicious shot into the net.
The second period became increasingly frenetic, end-to-end competition that returned Betis to supremacy. Borja’s shot was well blocked by Valencia’s Gabriel Paulista before Juanmi hit the post, his shot went past Mamardashvili but not the frame.
Fekir came close to winning in the last 10 minutes, but Mamardashvili’s legs denied him, while Soler had a chance in stoppage time after a misplaced pass from Bellerin, but Claudio Bravo saved.
Joaquin had come in, a fairy tale in his sights, but no one could find a winner and the quality faltered in extra time as fatigue and cramps set in.
Soler and Uros Racic confidently scored penalties for Valencia, matched by Willian Jose and Joaquín for Betis, although Mamardashvili had a hand in Joaquín’s shot.
Goncalo Guedes and Andres Guardado made no mistakes but Musah missed, finishing from the top to let Betis in. Cristian Tello and Gaya both scored, leaving Miranda with a chance to win. Mamardashvili jumped to the right, the ball went to the left.
Valencia’s Yunus Musah shone in the penalty shootout, giving Juan Miranda the opportunity to score the winning penalty at La Cartuja as Betis lifted the fourth major trophy in the club’s 115-year history.
Borja Iglesias had headed Betis ahead but Hugo Duro equalized for Valencia before the break and neither of them could find victory, neither in the second half nor in extra time.
But Musah’s mistake and Miranda’s cool head gave Betis the cup for the third time, in his hometown, after the club’s previous two wins in 1977 and 2005.
Betis captain Joaquín lifted the trophy after it was presented to him by the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
“I have tears of emotion, tears of joy,” Joaquin said. “It’s what we all wanted, to win a cup again, the Copa del Rey, as beautiful as we know it is”.
Joaquín, the 40-year-old winger, who made his debut with Betis at the age of 19 in 2000 and played in the final 17 years ago, came on in the 86th minute and scored from a penalty. Whether he decides this is a fitting end now to what has been a remarkable run remains to be seen.
“I’m going to enjoy the moment,” Joaquin said. “We are champions of the Copa del Rey and we dedicate it to all the people who have been with us: coaching staff, masseuses, chefs, waiters, all those people whose work is not seen but deserves as much credit as we do”.
Many had heralded this as a clash of styles, with Betis’ fearless approach tasked with breaking Valencia’s courage and resistance, but in reality both teams contributed equally to an open and exciting final.
“Football can be beautiful and it can also be cruel. It hurts,” Valencia’s José Gaya said.
It was only the second final in 14 years that did not include any Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atlético de Madrid and although Betis and Valencia are hardly minnows in Spain, there was no doubting the weight of the occasion for both clubs.
Valencia won the Copa del Rey in 2019, beating Barca in the final, but a forced sale of key players under the controversial ownership of Peter Lim means the side have been more concerned with relegation in recent seasons than winning trophies.
Betis, meanwhile, have been in the second division for three seasons since they last won it in 2005, the same year they finished fourth in LaLiga, which they still hope to replicate this season but have never managed to repeat since then.
Betis flew out of the screens and took the lead in the 11th minute, a deft move down the right seeing Nabil Fekir slide past Hector Bellerin who sent an excellent cross into the box. Borja jumped high and headed straight, the power of the connection was enough to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Valencia trembled and Betis kept coming. Borja headed wide and then nearly caught on a back pass from Mouctar Diakhaby, which required Mamardashvili to clear.
But Betis’ onslaught subsided and Valencia scored in the 30th minute, a brilliant counterattack that gave them a footing in the final. Carlos Soler deflected a superb pass from the right wing to midfield, where Ilaix Moriba had space to advance.
Duro was running away but the gap was narrow, Moriba passed the ball to his teammate, who finished off a delicious shot into the net.
The second period became increasingly frenetic, end-to-end competition that returned Betis to supremacy. Borja’s shot was well blocked by Valencia’s Gabriel Paulista before Juanmi hit the post, his shot went past Mamardashvili but not the frame.
Fekir came close to winning in the last 10 minutes, but Mamardashvili’s legs denied him, while Soler had a chance in stoppage time after a misplaced pass from Bellerin, but Claudio Bravo saved.
Joaquin had come in, a fairy tale in his sights, but no one could find a winner and the quality faltered in extra time as fatigue and cramps set in.
Soler and Uros Racic confidently scored penalties for Valencia, matched by Willian Jose and Joaquín for Betis, although Mamardashvili had a hand in Joaquín’s shot.
Goncalo Guedes and Andres Guardado made no mistakes but Musah missed, finishing from the top to let Betis in. Cristian Tello and Gaya both scored, leaving Miranda with a chance to win. Mamardashvili jumped to the right, the ball went to the left.
Reference-timesofindia.indiatimes.com