Copa Del Rey Blues

By: Cesar | January 7th, 2009

Last season, the Copa Del Rey was our saving grace.

It provided a soothing elixir to an otherwise putrid campaign. We celebrated, we laughed, we embraced and we dealt with the horrible hangovers the next morning …

This season, the Copa is more annoyance than reprieve.

I’d much rather concentrate on getting into the Champions League next season or going as far as we can in the UEFA Cup than defend our King’s Cup championship.

Apparently, the honchos at the Mestalla don’t agree with me. Valencia’s set to host the Cup Final this year so we’re giving it our all to make sure we’re in the match come May 13th.

Coach Unai Emery intimated as much a few days ago, saying, ‘we are the defending champions and with the final at the Mestalla, we have to be focused.’

Focused indeed. So focused we played four starters (Renan, Miguel, Marchena, Fernandes) at the beginning of today’s round of 16 Cup encounter with Racing Santander. So focused that David Villa, David Silva and Raul Albiol made it out for a kick about. So focused that we earned two red cards and played very undisciplined football …

1-1 was the final in a sloppy, plodding, boring affair from Santander, Spain.

To be fair, besides the starters, we fielded a pretty thin lineup. Fernando Morientes and Vicente started out front, with the now healthy Angulo around to miss easy shots and the likes of Edu, Maduro and Del Horno about to provide comic relief.

The first half was awful … putrid … boring … yawn-inducing … get my drift? Nothing of value happened. Valencia played. But I’ve seen video games be more entertaining than the match at the Sardinero. Luckily, we squeaked in a goal.

Fernandes drifted a corner into the near post. Santander defender Colsa, in an attempt to head the ball away from his goal, flicked the ball past his own goalkeeper and into the net. Pathetic own goal, but a goal nonetheless …

The 2nd half was better, but not because of us. Racing attacked and we defended.

Racing got a deserved penalty five minutes in when big-boned Miguel clobbered into Santander man Jonathan. On-loan Real Madrid man Garay stepped up but placed his kick too high and the ball crashed back off the cross bar with Renan looking around at the pretty girls in the stand.

Our reprieve lasted 4 minutes thanks to midfielder Lacen, who drew Santander level with a deserved equalizer.

Santander smelled blood and came after us. Pinillos swung in a juicy cross into the near post which was met by Toni Moral but Renan got down shrewdly at his near post to push the ball away, and then both Marchena and substitute Raul Albiol brilliantly blocked the follow-up efforts.

Emery smelled the Mestalla final slipping from his grubby hands and brought on Silva and Villa to score some goals …

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Not only that, we managed two red cards in the closing stages. Fun fun!

Vicente was dismissed for stamping on Santander full-back Oriol, receiving a straight red card from the referee.

Then, Miguel lunged at Serrano and received a second yellow. Upon seeing that, he stormed off the field straight at the assistant referee and had to be dragged from the field by Emery, who rushed from the dugout to manhandle his defender.

Wild finish. Boring match … blah blah blah …

It is what it is …