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Valencia Take Copa Glory

Wednesday, 16 April 2008

Valencia put their poor league form to one side to take a deserved victory over Getafe in the Copa del Rey final, winning their first trophy in four years in the process.

Alexis-Villa Juan Mata and Alexis had Valencia two up inside the first ten minutes, but they took their foot off the gas and saw their advantage reduced to one when Esteban Granero scored from the spot in first half stoppage time.

Despite Getafe's best second half efforts, they were unable to bring the scores level and conceded a third in the closing minutes when substitute Fernando Morientes sealed the victory for Valencia.

Valencia looked fired up from kick-off and took the lead in the third minute when David Villa released David Silva on the left and his cross found Mata, whose goal-bound header deflected in off Javier Arizmendi.

Getafe looked overawed by the occasion, and were soon two down when Alexis escaped his marker to head home Silva's in-swinging corner from the right.

The midfield of Los Azulones had struggled to keep hold of the ball in the opening exchanges, but began to impose themselves on the game as Valencia became slightly more defensive minded, allowing Getafe to build up some meaningful attacks.

After a couple of half-chances, Esteban Granero headed just wide from Cosmin Contra's cross as Getafe began to show the same strength in adversity that had so nearly taken them to a ten-men victory over Bayern Munich in the Uefa Cup, and they got a brilliant chance to pull a goal back when Contra was felled in the area by Emiliano Moretti on the verge of half time.

Despite a long delay while Valencia's players vented their frustrations at the referee's assistant, who had rightly signalled for a penalty, Granero held his nerve to fire the ball in off the inside of the post with the last kick of the half.

De la Red was close to connecting with Granero's inviting dead ball delivery in the early moments of the second half, while Valencia could have had a penalty when Manuel Tena appeared to drag down Villa inside the box.

Villa missed a decent opportunity to restore Valencia's two goal advantage when he fired wide after Ruben Baraja had played him in with an excellent pass over the top of the Getafe defence, and had another chance just moments later, only to be denied by a good stop from Oscar Ustari.

Both sides were trading chances and it was Getafe's turn just past the hour when Granero cut inside two challenges and was unlucky to see his curling effort bounce off the crossbar and behind. The midfielder was at the heart of all Getafe's best moves, crossing for substitute Braulio, whose header was well saved by Hildebrand.

Just as Getafe were building up a head of steam, Valencia scored a vital third goal when Ustari could only parry Baraja's free-kick into the path of Morientes, who sent a diving header into the bottom corner of the net.

Fabio Celestini was sent off in the closing minutes to add insult to injury for Getafe as Valencia took their first Copa del Rey triumph in nine years.

Nick Dorrington, Goal.com