Late night glory for Joaquín and Real Betis in Copa del Rey final drama
WITH kick-off scheduled for 22.00, it always felt likely that fate would take a hand to ensure that extra-time and then penalties extended the drama of the Copa del Rey final across into the early hours of Sunday morning. There was no time for yawns or glances at the clock though as Real Betis and Valencia served up a dramatic finale to this season’s competition, ending with the fairy-tale denouement that so many thought may have been pre-ordained. Just two months short of his 41st birthday, Joaquín Sánchez left his celebrating team-mates on the pitch and climbed the steps up to royal box to receive the trophy from Felipe VI.
Every night, since the February semi-final victory over Rayo Vallecano, the veteran must have dropped into the arms of Morpheus, with visions of hoisting that gleaming trophy, bedecked with green and white ribbons, triumphantly into a night sky full of stars in his own city. Sometimes, dreams can come true. This one did and, as well as fulfilling Joaquín’s dream, it also offered renewed hope to all 40 plus hopefuls who plough through weekly five-a-side games convinced that they still have feet full of magic, and a head full of dreams.
For the Beticos this victory was a long time in the making and, as well as the much-publicised links to their last Copa del Rey triumph for Joaquín, there was also a lesser-known connection for 22-year-old leftback Juan Miranda. Born in Olivares in the province of Sevilla, the defender had begun his career with the Betis youth set up before spending a frustrating time with Barcelona, and then returning to the Estadio Benito Villamarín in June 2021. Being a ‘local boy’ and returning prodigal son is only part of the story though. Seventeen years ago, when Betis last lifted the cup after beating Osasuna 2-1 after extra-time, a 25year-old Joaquín was part of the triumphant team cheered on to victory by a five-year-old fan watching from the terracing at Madrid’s Estadio Vicente Calderón. Seventeen years on, that fan netted the decisive penalty to take the cup for Los Verdiblancos.
In a game that had more thrills than constructive football, the Betis contingent had left little to chance; deploying all the advantages that fate had offered them. As well as playing in their home city, albeit at the neutral Estadio La Cartuja, originally constructed for the World Athletic Championships in 1999, their coach Manuel Pellegrini was wearing his Betis tracksuit. A minor detail, you may assume, but perhaps not so. Some statistician with clearly more time on his hands than is healthy for anyone had calculated that whenever the Chilean attends games in the tracksuit his team have triumphed in 63% of fixtures, as opposed to a mere 39% when Pellegrini is in alternative attire. This provokes two questions immediately in my mind. Firstly, who works these things out and, secondly, why does the coach ever not wear the tracksuit!
Just 10 minutes into the game, as Pellegrini stood on the touchline, brandishing that nifty nylon number to the fates who were surely observing, an incisive pass from Nabil Fekir released Héctor Bellerín down the right flank. In space, the former Arsenal defender whipped in a cross that was powerfully headed home by Borja Iglesias. For a while afterwards, it looked like the ‘tracksuit’ win percentage was going to grow. As well as picking up the team’s fortunes though, José Bordalás has drilled a determination into his Valencia side and gradually they played their way back into the game. They were rewarded on the half-hour mark when Ilaix Moriba’s neat pass sent, a marginally onside, Hugo Duro clear to clip a delightful finish over Claudio Bravo to square things up. It’s not known whether Pellegrini asked his back-room staff to find an extra tracksuit to wear in search of more magic but, if so, it failed to deliver.
From that point, the game veered this way and that as, at different times, both clubs had chances to take the lead, but failed to profit from them. Betis struck the post twice and both Duro and Moriba squandered openings. The former cleared the Betis crossbar from no more than six metres with Bravo absent. The latter miscued a volley so badly that it almost went backwards. With four minutes to play, Pellegrini sent Joaquín on for Juanmi amongst a flurry of substitutes as extra-time seemed increasingly inevitable. For all the changes however, no one could break the deadlock and penalties would decide the issue.
With the scores tied at 3-3, the only near thing had been, ironically when Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili got a strong hand on Joaquín’s spot kick, but perhaps there was an indication of the way things would eventually pan out as he could merely palm the ball into the net. The Russian roulette of a penalty shootout always, by definition, has a cruel ending for someone. On this occasion, the loaded chamber fell the way of USA international Yunus Musah. The fourth penalties are so often the most pressure-filled and when Musah’s effort flew over Bravo’s crossbar, the distraught teenager seemed to know that fate had selected him as the fall guy. Tello scored to put Betis ahead and, although Gaya netted Valencia’s final spot kick, at 12.51 on Sunday morning, Miranda’s 17-year-old memory was brought back into vivid and glorious reality as he netted to deliver the trophy. Regardless of how late ¬– or indeed how early – it was, the green half of Sevilla was hardly ready for sleep.
In the only other game contested over last weekend, Barcelona’s slump continued as they lost another home game, this time falling to a single goal defeat against Rayo Vallecano. The win, delivered by Alvaro Garcia’s early goal has surely secured Rayo’s top tier status for another season. Next week, we’re back to a full league programme, with just five Matchdays remaining to decide the destination of the title – although I think we already know that one – European places and relegation. Let’s catch up then and we’ll see how things shape up.
Hasta luego amigos!