Ronaldo seals dramatic Spanish Cup win for Real Madrid

Real Madrid players celebrate with the trophy after beating Barcelona in Valencia.—AP Dawn News Updates

VALENCIA: Real Madrid claimed their first trophy under Jose Mourinho in dramatic fashion when Cristiano Ronaldo’s extra-time winner secured a 1-0 King’s Cup final victory over arch-rivals Barcelona on Wednesday.

With penalties looming in a tense and occasionally brutal clash at a festive Mestalla stadium in Valencia, the Portuguese forward leaped to crash home a 103rd-minute header from Angel Di Maria’s superb centre after regular time had ended in stalemate.

Real’s first domestic cup since 1993 in Mourinho’s debut season since joining from Inter Milan denied Pep Guardiola’s Barca, who lead La Liga by eight points, the chance of a second treble in three seasons.

Their first silverware after two barren seasons also gives Real a lift ahead of their two-legged European Champions League semi-final against Barca on April 27 and May 3.

“Winning a trophy is always good,” a weary-looking Mourinho, who was criticised by honorary Real president Alfredo Di Stefano after Saturday’s 1-1 La Liga draw with Barca at the Bernabeu, said at a news conference.

“I try to do my work as well as possible and I am tired now but very pleased,” added the 48-year-old.  “It gives me some tranquility, nothing more, and I will continue with my work.”

Mourinho, who won the King’s Cup in 1997 and 1998 as assistant to Barca coaches Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal, has now won cups in four different countries following triumphs in his native Portugal with Porto, in England with Chelsea and in Italy with Inter.

“In my opinion it was a great football match,” he said. “I think we played well against a great team and beating a great team has more value.”

SHARED GLORY
In a festive atmosphere in the Mediterranean port city, one half of the 55,000-capacity stadium was decked out in the claret and blue of Barca and draped in Catalan flags, while the other was a sea of white flecked with the yellow and gold of Spain.

Mourinho opted not to include a striker in his starting 11, instead deploying an attacking trident of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Di Maria, who was sent off after receiving his second yellow card just before the end of extra time.

Mourinho’s Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola left captain Carles Puyol, who only returned from injury in Saturday’s “Clasico”, on the bench and midfielder Javier Mascherano partnered Gerard Pique in central defence.

Barca, the 2009 Cup winners, had six players from Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in their starting 11 and Real four but any memories of shared glory in South Africa seemed far from their minds in an attritional first half hour.

Real successfully closed down Barca’s creative midfielders and pacy forwards and had much the better of the first half before Pepe crashed a header off the post in the 44th minute with goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto well beaten.

Barca had failed to muster a shot on target but the second period was a different story and they utterly dominated possession, Andres Iniesta and Pedro forcing fine saves from keeper and Spain team mate Iker Casillas.

MESSI IMPOTENT
However, even World Player of the Year Lionel Messi was unable to break the deadlock and Ronaldo almost put Real ahead when he sped on to Xabi Alonso’s pass in the eighth minute of extra time but his arrowed drive whistled narrowly wide.

He made no mistake five minutes later and his powerful header sent the white half of the stadium into raptures and had them singing Mourinho’s name long after Casillas had hoisted the trophy aloft and the Barca fans had trooped dejectedly into the warm Valencia night.

“It’s a very important title we’re going to enjoy it,” Ronaldo said in a television interview. “Mourinho has done a good job,” he added of his compatriot.

“He’s helped us a lot. Barca played very well but as you know the team who scores wins.”

Guardiola was philosophical in defeat and said he and his players now had to concentrate on recuperating for Saturday’s La Liga game at home to Osasuna.

“First of all I want to congratulate Real Madrid,” the former Barca and Spain midfielder told a news conference. “Life is like that. You can’t always win.”

Barca are the record King’s Cup winners with 25, while Real now have 18.

Schalke and Real eye semi-final spots Training

Real Madrid in training. -AFP Photo Dawn News Up Dates
BERLIN: Schalke 04 will be in buoyant mood when they aim to complete a stunning Champions League upset against holders Inter Milan on Wednesday.
New coach Ralf Rangnick has injected a winning mentality since taking over, masterminding a sensational 5-2 victory in the San Siro and erasing the club’s Bundesliga relegation fears with a win against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
“We have taken a lot of confidence with our win against Wolfsburg,” defender Benedikt Hoewedes said after the win against the club managed by former coach Felix Magath.
“Now we have the necessary calm for the game against Inter.”
However, he warned that there was still work to do before they could book their place in the semi-final against either Manchester United or Chelsea.
“Inter will most certainly try to reverse the result somehow and their front line is outstanding, that is no secret,” said Hoewedes, who is again expected to be partnered in central defence by Joel Matip instead of Christoph Metzelder.
Schalke have now won all three games since Rangnick replaced Magath late last month.
Rangnick will likely use 19-year-old defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos in a holding midfield role just as he has done in the past two matches, while Brazilian Edu, who scored twice in the first leg, should again partner Raul up front.
Inter restored some pride after an awful week by beating Chievo 2-0 in Serie A on Saturday but the holders know they have an almost impossible task in overturning Schalke’s first leg advantage when they travel to Gelsenkirchen.
Striker Samuel Eto’o has not given up hope though, according to coach Leonardo.
“Inside I believe that anything is possible,” the manager told reporters. “I believe it and the players believe it too.
Eto’o perhaps believes it more than anyone.
“He has plenty of comeback tales and he has played a part in lots of them. He told us all about them and they were great to hear.”
Leonardo had previously said it was “unrealistic” to expect his side to turn things around but Inter still plan to go and hold their heads up high as they all but certainly wave goodbye to their cherished trophy which took 45 years to regain.
Inter’s Argentina defender Walter Samuel has been included in their squad after missing the last five months because of a cruciate ligament injury.
Doctors had expected the centre back to be out for the season after reconstructive surgery but the 33-year-old, who suffered a similar problem in 2007, has quickly recovered having collapsed to the ground in agony against Brescia in November.
Playmaker Wesley Sneijder was included in the squad despite a bout of flu while Cristian Chivu, sent off in the 3-0 derby loss to AC Milan earlier this month which looks to have cost Inter a sixth consecutive scudetto, is banned following his red card in the first leg but Lucio is available after serving a European suspension.
Real Madrid should complete the formality of eliminating Tottenham Hotspur from the Champions League on Wednesday to set up a probable semi-final against arch-rivals Barcelona.
Real travel to White Hart Lane brimming with confidence after demolishing Spurs 4-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final last week, while Barca go to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine 5-1 up.
Barring the most unlikely of events, Real and Barca will meet each other in European competition for the first time since 2002.
Real coach Jose Mourinho, publicly at least, has paid Spurs and English soccer the greatest respect by saying only an English team could overturn a four-goal deficit.
If that is true, then that club are Spurs, who have dazzled in their debut season in the Champions League with some stunning fightbacks and re-kindled a flickering light from the past.
After Manchester United, Spurs were English soccer’s trailblazers in Europe in the early 1960s when they became the first British side to win a European trophy, beating Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1963.
A year earlier Spurs reached the semi-finals of the European Cup when their manager Bill Nicholson, paying his respects to the all-conquering Real team of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, decided his team should change to an all-white kit for European games.
Real, some years later, became the first away team in 24 years ever to win a European tie at White Hart Lane when they beat holders Spurs 1-0 in the UEFA Cup in 1985 – and are easily equipped to score another win on Wednesday.
However, although Spurs are almost certain to go out, they will not go down without showing the spirit that has been a feature of their Champions League adventure which ended almost before it started back in August.
Spurs were 3-0 down after 28 minutes of the first leg of their qualifying playoff against Young Boys in Berne before losing 3-2 and then qualifying for the group stage with a 4-0 win in the second leg in London.
In the group stage they were losing 4-0 at halftime to holders Inter Milan before a Gareth Bale hat-trick in the second half pulled the score back to 4-3. Spurs then beat Inter 3-1 in the return in London.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said: “It has been a great experience so far and I am sure it will be a great experience on Wednesday. We will give it our best shot and see what happens.”
They will have to do that without striker Peter Crouch, sent off last week, while Real Madrid will be without the suspended Pepe.
Mourinho, though, can also call on Karim Benzema in attack after his recovery from an injury he suffered playing for France, and he could replace Emmanuel Adebayor, whose two headers last week set Real on their way to their emphatic win.