FC BARCELONA 1 VALENCIA CF 2 | SPANISH CUP FINAL RESULT

The final big match for season 2018 - 2019 & title for Spanish Football was played tonight between FC BARCELONA & VALENCIA CF in the SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY - FINAL in the city of Seville. Here is a summary of the main events, goalscorers & the final result.

FC BARCELONA starting 11 team: Cillessen; Semedo, Gerard Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Sergi Busquets, Arthur; Sergi Roberto, Lionel Messi & Coutinho

VALENCIA CF starting 11 team: Jaume; Daniel Wass, Garay, Gabriel Paulista, Gaya; Dani Parejo, Coquelin, Carlos Soler, Guedes; Rodrigo & Gameiro

From the start the strategies of both Clubs were clear, FC Barcelona ball possession & domination, while Valencia CF was firm tactical defending looking for the speedy counter-attack. Barça forward LUIS SUAREZ had decided beforehand to operate himself from a niggling injury & was not part of the Final, his team was to miss him very much.

The Barça intensity started strongly but gradually faded as Valencia calmed themselves & forced defensive mistakes. The counter-attacks was catching the Barça defenders on the back foot & it was not long that in a sprint by defender GAYA he found forward GAMEIRO who shook off Jordi Alba & scored the opener in the 21st min. Barcelona was rattled & another counter-attack by SOLER who outpaced Barça defender Alba found the head of RODRIGO who scored the second for Valencia CF in the 33rd min. 

Valencia went into the 2º half 2 - 0. 

The 2º half saw Barcelona react putting on Arturo Vidal (for Arthur) & Malcom (for Semedo) with the objective of turning the result around. Barcelona took control & the initiative lead by Messi who was single handedly pulling his team onward. The opportunities arrived, Messi hit the post & Vidal missed a chance. The goal opportunities continued to come for Barça, Pique came close & Messi had free kicks, until a corner found the head  of Lenglet with the ball stopped  by the Valencia goalie but MESSI scored off the rebound in the 73rd. The comeback was possible.

Valencia Coach Marcelino took off his forwards & reinforced the midfield (change forced as Parejo injured himself) plus the strengthen the defence. Valencia CF managed to hold off the continued Barça attacks until the end, while GUEDES could have avoided the suffering earlier had he not missed two huge sitters ( one in front of the Barça goalie, the other with an empty Barça goal). 

The whistle blew in the 95th min & VALENCIA CF proclaimed themselves Spanish Cup winners 2019 breaking the Barça reign of 4 straight years & winning the title 11 years later. 

FC Barcelona tried hard in the last 20 minutes but missed dearly Luis Suarez upfront as there was no clear forward as reference. Some players were not up to the event with disappointing performance from Arthur & Coutinho, plus the Champions League semifinal elimination at Liverpool may have still been deep within the subconscious of some players.

As for Valencia great match, very focused & determined tonight & they rightly deserved the victory & title. A big trophy for the Club in their 100 year anniversary which will be greatly celebrated tonight by players & the city of Valencia CF.

FINAL RESULT: FC BARCELONA 1 - VALENCIA CF 2 


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VALENCIA CF 1 REAL BETIS 0 (3-2 AGG) | SPANISH CUP SEMI RESULT

SPANISH CUP (Copa del Rey) semi final action tonight to determine whether VALENCIA CF or REAL BETIS will join FC Barcelona in the May Spanish Cup Final. Both teams finished with a 2 - 2 result in the first leg match in Sevilla. Here is a summary of the main match events, goalscorers & the final result. 

Above is highlighted the starting 11 home team: Valencia CF

Above highlighted the starting 11 team for Real Betis

From the start it was clear the "game plan" from both teams. Valencia CF was prepared to wait & then counter-attack, while Betis was in with ball domination to work their play. Said this, both methods were ineffective during the first 45 minutes. Real Betis had possession but little buzz upfront, except a Canales free kick & a Jese shot both stopped by Valencia Cf goalkeeper Domenech. Valencia CF managed a few counter-attacks but they too were ineffective with over-zealous dribbling. Mentioned this, Betis looked as if they would score more than the home team. 

The 2º half & it was Valencia CF which struck first in a counter, when RODRIGO knocked in his teams goal in the 56th min. From there onwards Betis had to act to at least score their goal & if possible another. As it may ocurre the impulsive interpretation of Football took over, with added frustration with near misses & despair as the time clock kept ticking. Valencia with their goal was in the driver's seat and managed to create more goal opportunities that did not end in goal but keep the rope tight.

FINAL RESULT: VALENCIA CF 1 - REAL BETIS 0

The counter-attack philosophy won over the ball possession method, effectiveness over construction.

Valencia CF will now meet FC Barcelona in May for the Spanish Cup Final, ironically in Seville & at the Real Betis home stadium (Benito Villamarin).

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REAL MADRID 0 FC BARCELONA 3 (1 - 4 AGG) | SPANISH CUP SEMI RESULT

The return leg of the SPANISH CUP (COPA DEL REY) semi-final between REAL MADRID CF and FC BARCELONA. The 1ºst leg ended in a 1 - 1 result & the tie was wide open for both teams. Here is a summary of the main events, goalscorers & the final result. 

REAL MADRID started with the above 11 team, with the news beginning the start of Reguilon & Bale left on the bench.  

FC BARCELONA started with the above starting 11 with the news being Sergi Roberto in the midfield.

REAL MADRID played better, but were punished & very severely by the Football axiom: "If you don't take your chances you will end up losing". This is what exactly occured. While The 1º st half was very even & tactical it was Real Madrid which was creating the goal occasions. However, Real Madrid, especially Vinicius Jr failed to define & finish off his (& teams) great work with goals. Too many misses which could have shut the match & given the tie in their favour early. 

However, in the 2º half FC Barcelona suffered but allowed Real Madrid to move up forward & basically knocked them out with counter-attacks exploiting the open spaces left while looking for goal. 

FC BARCELONA attacked three times & scored three times, the exact opposite from Real Madrid which created up to 10 goal chances & did not convert at all. The first goal came from LUIS SUAREZ in the 50th min from a Dembele pass. Here is an interesting story, the French winger was basically ineffective up till this point, Dembele was to be important again in the 2º goal when he passed into LUIS SUAREZ & the ball deflected off Real Madrid defender VARANE into the net in the 68th min.

A knockout blow for Real Madrid that had them reeling, so much so that while they were lifting off the "canvas" another counter-attack turned into a penalty as Casemiro fouled LUIS SUAREZ. The Uruguayan took the penalty & scored the 3ºr goal for Barça in the 73rd min & shut the door, assured the victory & their pass onto another Spanish Cup Final.

FINAL RESULT - REAL MADRID 0 FC BARCELONA 3 (1 - 4 on aggregate)

Some final observations:

• Real Madrid lost because they could not converted their numerous occasions, 
• Vinicius Jr while dangerous & talented needs to "fine tune" his finishes. He missestoo many chances & has no left foot,
• Real Madrid young defender REGUILON was the best on the field, MVP, & is a consecrated revelation. Real Madrid has a substitute for Marcelo & a future Spanish International. Outstanding.
• FC Barcelona was effective, efficient & utilized the law of "minimum effort for maximum results".  

Next Saturday we have another "Clasico" - Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona - this time as part of the LA LIGA fixture. I believe Barcelona has a psychological dominance over Real Madrid & would dare predict that Barça will win again on Saturday. If Barça does win the LIGA title will be virtually assured for them as they would have eliminated Real Madrid from the race only having Atletico de Madrid chasing.

Tomorrow the other Spanish Cup semi tie between REAL BETIS - VALENCIA CF currently 2 - 2 on aggregate. 

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SPANISH CUP FINAL | FC BARCELONA 3 - ALAVES 1

The last official title of the season in Spanish Football with FC BARCELONA winning ALAVES 3 - 1 in the Final of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey, their 3rd consecutive. Barça deservedly won with a much better performance where the quality was far superior to their ambitious opponents. It was the last match for Barça Coach Luis Enrique who leaves with a Title & with a winning note.

Although the match had intense moments with a very brave & motivated Alaves putting pressure, it was FC Barcelona player LIONEL MESSI who opened "the can" & basically decided the match with his fabulous opening goal (30th min) & later his surgical passing. The Argentine appeared in the correct moments, precisely when Alaves was pressuring the most, to tip the balance the way of Barça.

Alaves had ther "golden moment" when THEO scored a fantastic equalizer from a free kick in the 33rd min, which seemed to indicate that Alaves would take things further. However, Barça reacted with goals from NEYMER  (possibly off-side, 45th min) & ALCACER (48th min).

The second half was a fizzer with Alaves trying but without success, while FC Barcelona controlled things maintaining their 2 goal advantage. There was minor moments of tension as both teams got physical but nothing really big to mention.

The only scare was early in the match when Barça player Mascherano received a head-injury after clashing without intent with a Alaves player. The Argentine was quickly taken off & substituted for Andres Gomes for precaution.

Barça wins the Copa del Rey Final without much fanfare, but being effective. In the end the quality & experience of the Barcelona players was decisive over Alaves.

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SPANISH CUP FINAL | FC BARCELONA 2 SEVILLA FC 0

FC Barcelona has won the Spanish Cup Final 2 - 0 against Sevilla FC & after extra-time. Intense Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey - Final that had 3 red cards ( 1 for Barça & 2 Sevilla FC) & which also had Barça on the ropes up to the 91st min, to see them manage to turn the Final around.

Its the 28th Spanish Cup title in the history of Barça which they adds to the Liga title for season 2015-2106

Sevilla FC had everything in their favour when in the 36th min Mascherano received a red card for fouling Gameiro. With Barça down to 10 men Sevilla took over the match. Things got even worst for Barça when Luis Suarez was taken off with a muscle injury. Everything was in favour of Sevilla but Barcelona held tight. 

Sevilla sinned in missing their opportunities & paid dearly for it later. With Iniesta, Messi, Pique & Neymar holding things together, & later taking things further, Barça turned things around. The 91 st min the red card to Sevilla FC player Banegas also swayed things back to Barcelona´s way as the match went into extra-time.

FC Barcelona scored in the 97th min via Jordi Alba, & later Neymar scored the sealer in the 122th min to give FC Barcelona the Spanish Cup Title. 

Sevilla received another red card just before the Neymar goal to illustrate the decline of their Football from the Banegas red card. 

A suffered & worked victory for Barça that shuts their Football season with two titles

Congratulations to FC Barcelona.

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SPANISH CUP-COPA DEL REY FINAL RESULTS | 1º LEG SEMI-FINALS

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey action tonight with the 1º leg semi-finals scheduled. Here are tonights Kings Cup final results along with all the goalscorers.

FC Barcelona hosted Villarreal in their 1º leg semi-final match to eventually win 3 - 1. I say eventually because Villarreal was right in the match up until mid 2º half. FC Barcelona was more effective with their created opportunities while Villarreal, although managing to get to a goal,  failed to convert all their chances. 

Here is the order of goals:

• Messi 43rd min , 1 - 0  - pass from Suarez
• Tigueros 48th  min, 1 - 1 - mistake from Ter Stegen
• Iniesta 50th min , 2 - 1
• Pique 65th min.

The main points 1) Villarreal managed an important away goal through Tigueros which keeps the door somewhat open for the return 2º leg match, although a turn around is highly unlikely & 2) Neymar missed a penalty in the 70th min. Good match from Suarez who assisted & was very active even though he did not get onto the goal-sheet. 

Villarreal played well but fizzed out as Barça converted their work opportunities, many as counter-attacks, a style not habitually seen in pass history. Barça are in the box-seat for this tie.

Different state of affairs in the other Spanish Cup encounter with a final result 1 - 1 between Athletic Club Bilbao & RCD Espanyol - Copa del Rey 1º leg semi-final game. Competitive match between both with Bilbao starting stronger & perhaps deserving more rewards up to half time. However, Espanyol got their Football play together & bettered as the match went on. So much so, that the visitors managed an important away goal which gives them a slight advantage going into the 2º leg return match.  The goalscorers tonight :

• Aduriz 10th min, 1 - 0
• Victor Sanchez 34th min, 1 - 1

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SPANISH CUP-COPA DEL REY THURSDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

The Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey continued tonight with the remaining three 2º leg return Quarter-Final matches scheduled. Here are all the final results, goalscorers & qualifying Clubs.

Madrid Club Getafe hosted Villarreal which came into this match with a 1 goal advantage from the first leg. A contested match which was finally settled in the 78th min when Villarreal scored the valuable away goal through Gerard. 

Final result tonight 0 - 1 to Villarreal which goes into the Copa del Rey semi-finals where they will meet FC Barcelona. 

The 1ºst leg match finished in a 0 - 0 draw. The Spanish Cup Quarter-final tie was wide open with tonights 2º leg clash between Athletic Club Bilbao & Malaga FC up for grabs. After an intense 90 mins of pressure Football with the local fans roaring on their team, Athletic Club Bilbao managed a 1 - 0 victory over Malaga thanks to the 48th min Aduriz goal. 

At. Bilbao qualifies for the Spanish Cup semi-finals were they they will meet RCD Espanyol

RCD Espanyol won 3 - 1 in the first leg, & Sevilla FC needed to score 2 goals tonight to have a chance to turn around the Quarter-final tie. A packed "Sanchez Pijuan Stadium" cheered their side on, but the visitors held out to the Sevilla attacks all night. Espanyol stood firm & was disciplined in defence with Sevilla only managing to score just one goal through Diogo in the 88th min. 

Final result in tonights 2º leg return Quarter-final 1 - 0 to Sevilla FC, but RCD Espanyol qualifies on 3 - 2 aggregate & goes into the semi-finals to meet At.Bilbao

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SPANISH CUP-COPA DEL REY RESULT | 2º LEG QUARTER FINAL

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg return Quarter-finals games this week, tonight At. Madrid - FC Barcelona, & the three remaining tomorrow. Final result 2 - 3 favouring FC Barcelona which eliminates Atletico de Madrid from the Kings Cup with an overall 2 - 4 aggregate result to Barça.

Tonights match had some controversial moments with the referee unfortunately playing a role with bad decisions which "killed off the match". Penalty called when not, penalty not called when it was & a red card given to Atletico de Madrid Captain Gabi in the players tunnel area at the start of the 2º half which left the home team all the 2º half down with 10 men, & without real hopes of turning the game around. 

Said this, FC Barcelona deserved to go through into the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup after winning convincingly in the 1ºst leg & in tonights game. In both cases Barça reacted well under pressure & their big stars resolved well their chances with goals.

Atletico de Madrid got off to a flying start when Fernando Torres opened the scoring in the 1st min of play. But when the home team was up front looking for a second, Barça found a counter-attack that Messi started, Suarez participated & Neymar finished with goal in the 9th min. 

At.Madrid reacted & found themselves with a penalty - that was not - in the 29th min that Raul Garcia converted putting Atletico back in the tie. However, Barça was not shaken & in a corner Atletico de Madrid Miranda head in an own-goal to equalize the match & give the upper hand back to the visitors.

It was the best moments of the match with end to end play, when in a Atletico de Madrid counter-attack Griezmann had his shot at goal stopped by the arm of defender Jordi Alba. A clear hand-ball & penalty not called that saw how the ball rebounded to favour Barça & in the consequent counter-attack Neymar scored the 3rd goal for Barça in the 42nd min.

Dismay & anger from the Atletico de Madrid players as they basically watched how a comeback-turn around scenario went up in smoke. The Atletico complaints continued & Captain Gabi saw a red card in the players tunnel shutting any chance of a comeback. Stupid action from Gabi but overreaction from the Referee, both actions "killing off" what was up till then a great & entertaining Copa del Rey game.

The second half was nothing near the same as the first, as both teams accepted the result & the final outcome. FC Barcelona into the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup & Atletico de Madrid eliminated.

Tomorrow the remaining three 2º leg return Spanish Cup Q/Final games scheduled.
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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY THURSDAY GAME FINAL RESULT 1º LEG Q/FINAL

The last of the scheduled 1º leg Quarter-Finals of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey was played tonight between RCD Espanyol & Sevilla FC. Here is the final result & the goalscorer.

Intense stuff with Espanyol striking first in the 18th min when in form forward Caicedo scored. This was a blow that Sevilla FC did not fully recover from although their young forward Denis Suarez hit the bar in the 29th min. 

Espanyol made things uncomfortable for the visitors cancelling their Football with solid defending & dangerous counter-attacks. It was not long before Espanyol got their second when Sergio Garcia scored in the 74th min delivering the "final knock-out" to Sevilla. The third goal came soon after when Lucas Vazquez put the ball in the net in the 81st min. However, Sevilla managed a "lifesaving" goal in the 91st min that keeps them alive with an important away goal from Bacca.

Espanyol has virtually a foot into the Spanish Cup semis with a very advantageous three goal advantage. It´s an uphill battle for Sevilla FC which will have to pull from heroics to attempt to turn this tie around next week in the 2º leg return match, but they will have the warmth & support of their local followers.

Final result tonight 3 - 1 to RCD Espanyol.
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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY FINAL RESULTS | 1º LEG QUARTER FINALS

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey action tonight - Wednesday - with three matches of the 1º leg Quarter-Finals. Here are all the final results along with the goalscorers.

Villarreal hosted Madrid Getafe & managed a hard earned 1 - 0 victory. A defensive Getafe thinking more in the return match managed to keep at bay Villarreal right up to the 85th min when Bruno scored from a free-kick. Relief for the home side as they earlier missed a series of obvious goal opportunities. Getafe will be disappointed after their effort, but they are still alive for the 2º leg.

FC Barcelona won 1 - 0 Atletico de Madrid in a competitive & intense match that was broken by a 85th min penalty by Atletico defender Juanfran on Barça midfielder Busquets. It was Messi who converted for the goal after goalie Oblak got his hand on the ball but the Argentine got the rebound. 

Equal game with both teams changing from being the protagonists while creating their respective goalscoring opportunities. In the end "a detail" was enough to tip the balance. 

Both teams meet again next week for the return 2º leg with the tie still wide out, however with Barça currently the having the upper-hand.

Malaga FC hosted Athletic Club Bilbao & finished in 0 - 0 drew result. Both teams had little goal opportunities as their tactical set-ups finished equalizing each other out. The tie will be settled at Bilbao in the return 2º leg match next week.

Tomorrow the last scheduled 1º leg Spanish Cup Quarter- final game between RCD Espanyol & Sevilla FC.
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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY THURSDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

Last of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg matches tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

Real Madrid placed their hopes on a turn around against Atletico de Madrid which visited with a 2 goals advantage from the 1ºst leg. However, Fernando Torres poured cold water over the Real Madrid plans scoring twice, in the 1st min & again in the 46th min. The away goal advantage then made it uphill for the home team thereafter. 

For Real Madrid the scorers were Sergio Ramos in the 21 st min who equalized & later Cristiano Ronaldo in the 53rd min. End & final result a 2 - 2 draw with Atletico de Madrid moving into the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup, with the most likely rival FC Barcelona. 

Real Madrid eliminated on 2 - 4 aggregate.


Elche 0 - FC Barcelona 4 (Mathieu,Sergi Roberto,Pedro,Adriano)
(Barça wins 0 - 9 agg)

Teams qualified for the Kings Cup quarter-finals:

• Villarreal
• Athletic Club Bilbao
• Getafe
• Sevilla FC
• Malaga FC
• RCD Espanyol
• Atletico de Madrid
• FC Barcelona

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY 2º LEG TUESDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg matches this mid-week with two tonight. Quick summary of qualifiers for the next round, final scores & goalscorers.

Levante 3 (Barral 69th min & 72nd min, Juanfran 84th min) - Malaga FC 2 (Horta 21st min & Recio 37th min). Although Levante made a "heroic last moment" attempt they are eliminated from the Copa del Rey with Malaga FC advancing, 4-3 aggregate.

RCD Espanyol 2 ( Caicedo 79th & 89th min) - Valencia CF 0. Valencia knocked out of the Spanish Cup, with the red card to Mustafi in the 12 th min an important reason. RCD Espanyol into the Q/Finals.

More Kings Cup games tomorrow.

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY THURSDAY GAMES RESULTS

The last four remaining Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg games were played tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

Atletico de Madrid drew 2 - 2 with L´Hospitalet going into the next stage of the Kings Cup after having done the hard work in the 1º leg winning 0 - 3. Small attendance with At. Madrid giving a run to the players that aren't getting the minutes. 

Mandzukic scored both goals for Atletico in the 19th & 74th min, while Alcazar scored both for the visitors in the 67th & 84th min. 

Atletico de Madrid will now meet Real Madrid in the next round.

Elche eliminates Valladolid thanks to the 6th min goal from Adrian & final score 1 - 0. Elche will now face FC Barcelona in the next stage of the Spanish Cup for them. 

Athletic Club Bilbao won 1 - 0 Alcoyano with a goal from Viguera in the 38th min & qualify for the next stage. 

Malaga FC won  4 - 1 Deportivo A Coruña & go through to the next stage of the Spanish Cup. The goals fell in this order:

• Santa Cruz 51st min, 1 - 0
• Postinga 57th min, 1 - 1
• Recio 59th min, 2 - 1
• Santa Cruz 68th min, 3 - 1
• Camacho 93rd min, 4 - 1

This is a graph of all the results & next stage match-ups of the Spanish Cup.

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COPA DEL REY - SPANISH CUP WEDNESDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey 2º leg return matches continued tonight with the following final results & goalscorers.

Eibar lost 1 - 2 to Madrid Club Getafe & was eliminated from the Spanish Kings Cup. The goals fell in this order:

• Vigaray 22nd min, 0 - 1
• Diego Castro 34th min, 0 - 2
• Piovaccari (penalty) 55th min, 1 - 2

Getafe go through.

RCD Espanyol won 1 - 0 Alaves with the 64th min goal from Jairo, thus 3-0 overall aggregate. 

Levante drew 0 - 0 with Albacete, but qualified for the next round thanks to the 1 - 1 1º leg result with the away goal.


Cordoba drew 1 - 1 with Granada, but was eliminated.  The goal for Cordoba in the 5th min by Florin, but the "knock out punch" came with the 59th min equalizer by Mainz. Granada moves on to meet Sevilla in the next stage.

Real Sociedad knocked out Oviedo winning 2 - 0 with two goals from their giant Islandic forward Finnbogson - 28th & 61st min goals.

Villarreal won 3 - 0 Cadiz, with goals from Trigueros (penalty) in the 55th min,  & 2 from Gerard - 78th & 88th min. Villarreal qualify.

More Spanish Cup games tomorrow.

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY - WEDNESDAY GAMES FINAL RESULTS

Spanish Cup - Copa de Rey - games continued tonight with 5 matches scheduled. Here are all the final results along with all the goalscorers.

Sevilla FC played their 2º leg tie with Second Division Club Sabadell & won 5 - 1, taking the overall aggregate to 11-2.

The visitors got ahead first through a penalty that Collantes scored in the 21st min, from here it was a Sevilla Show with goals from:

• Gameiro 34th min, 1 - 1
• Aspas 58th min, 2 - 1
• Aspas 59th min, 3 - 1
• Aspas 61st min, 4 - 1
• Deulofeu 80th min, 5 - 1

Sevilla forward Aspas got a Hat-Trick in 3 mins!

Atletico de Madrid travelled to visit 2º Division B Club L´Hospitalet for their 1ºst leg Kings Cup game. The final result was a 0 - 3 victory for Atletico with goals from :

• Griezmann 67th min, 0 - 1
• Gabi 81st min penalty, 0 - 2
• Cristian Rodriguez 92nd min, 0 - 3

At. Madrid has the tie under control (barring an accident) & are on course to meet Real Madrid in the next stage.

Deportivo A Coruña hosted Malaga FC for their 1º st tie clash with the final score a 1 - 1 draw. Malaga got ahead first through a Samu goal in the 10th min, but Depor managed to equalize in the 68th min through Toche. 

FC Barcelona visited Huesca for their 1ºst leg match & won 0 - 4. Barça was mostly without their bigger names, but those on the field did the job, & well. Some beautiful to the eyes goals, especially the Ratikic free-kick & the Iniesta power-shoot. The goals fell in this order:

• Ratikic 12th min, 0 - 1
• Iniesta 16th min , 0 - 2
• Pedro 39th min, 0 - 3
• Rafinha 72nd min, 0 - 4

Barça has the tie virtually in the bag, but still has to host Huesca for the return 2º leg game.

Granada won Cordoba 1 - 0 with the goal from Cordoba. Ironic that the goalscorer has the same surname as the losing side.

More scheduled Spanish Cup games tomorrow.

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FC BARCELONA 1 REAL MADRID 2 | SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY ( KINGS CUP ) FINAL RESULT

The first title of the Spanish Football season 2013-2014 fell the way of Real Madrid after defeating FC Barcelona 1 - 2 in the Final of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey (Kings Cup) played this Wednesday night at the city of Valencia. 

Important victory for Real Madrid which finally manages, along with their Coach Ancelotti, to win this season their maximum rival in Spanish & World Soccer. Horror 10 days for FC Barcelona which string together three losses ( Champions League, Liga game & Spanish Cup Final), something unheard off in the past 5 years.

Overall the victory was deserved by Real Madrid which had created far more chances of goal although FC Barcelona forward Neymar hit the post in the 90th min which if it had gone in would have been the equalizer & who knows, maybe a different ending to this story. But thats Football, tonight Real Madrid had luck smiling on them because they looked for it all match.

Intense match as expected with two differing styles; Barça dominating the ball & Real Madrid taking advantage of the spaces left in the Barça midfielder to counter-attack. The first goal came from Real Madrid when Di Maria scored in the 11th min. 

From here & onwards Barcelona looked to react & equalize but Real Madrid defensively was solid & very concentrated. The Real Madrid defenders Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal & Coentrao, with the help of a tireless Isco & Di Maria totally neutralized Lionel Messi & Neymar who was tonight the great disappointment. The Brazilian is still very young & he would have learnt tonight, but he was a shadow, to which many will critise Barça Coach Martino for not putting on Pedro earlier or from the start.

FC Barcelona is undoubtedly a great team & they managed to comeback to equalize against the grain when Real Madrid was continuously ripping the Barça defence apart. From a Xavi corner young Barça defender Bartra headed a magnificent goal in the 69th min that brought back his team to life.

But in the 85th min, perhaps the moment of the Spanish Cup Final, when Gareth Bale picked up a ball on the left flank & while pushed over the line accelerated to reach the ball to run 50 mts & score the winner. Amazing effort that gives the Welshman a piece of Real Madrid history & a dream come true for the winger. Real Madrid then held out & won this seasons Kings Cup. 

To finish, one can say that we may have witnessed the end of the "Greatest Football Team in World Football" ever seen. FC Barcelona will harshly & perhaps unjustly receive a storm of severe criticism the next coming days that will force radical changes for next season. One of those changes is the end of Coach Gerardo Martino who everyone speculates will not continue next season. There after,  a series of players, ranging from Alves, Xavi, Pinto, Pedro & even Messi, are under speculation of perhaps leaving as the Club looks to bring in "fresh blood" for next season. One of those, Lionel Messi, is being criticised for "saving himself" for the World Cup as his performances in the last few matches have been unusually poor. I personally doubt this from the professional, but...

Said all this, what if the Neymar ball in the 90th min had gone in instead of hitting the post?

Congratulations to Real Madrid.

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SPANISH CUP FINAL - KINGS CUP FINAL | POSSIBLE TEAM LINE-UPS

The country is slowly grinding to a halt as the Easter vacations commence & the Final of the SPANISH CUP-COPA DEL REY ( Kings Cup) is about to kick-off tomorrow - Wednesday the 16th of April at 21.30 hrs Spanish Time - between FC Barcelona & Real Madrid.

Top match of Spanish & World Football as two of the best Clubs on World Soccer meet up once again to attempt to claim the first big title of this season. FC Barcelona is super hyped up as they see this as a way to get back their prestige after being knocked out of the Champions League, while Real Madrid wants to beat their rivals for the first time this season & grab the first title in their attempt to also notch up Liga & Champions League.

Both sides have important players missing, Real Madrid being the most notable with Cristiano Ronaldo missing due to injury along with Marcelo. FC Barcelona will be without Spanish International defender Gerard Pique & youngster Marc Bartra.

Everyone pre-match is speculating on the possible starting XI line-ups for both teams. The general consensus is the following, for FC Barcelona:

Pinto, Alves, Mascherano, Puyol, Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Neymar & Messi.

LATEST: Puyol OUT, in his place Adriano.

For Real Madrid the speculated starting line-up in tomorrows Spanish Cup Final is:

Casillas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao, Xabi Alonso, Modric, Di Maria, Isco, Bale & Benzema.

A Final not to be missed & the perfect stage for some players to claim back their "star" status in World Soccer. Messi has a chance to push aside recent criticisms along with team-mate Neymar. While tomorrow is the perfect match & moment for Gareth Bale to find his place in World Football along with Benzema.

Lastly, the above starting line-ups are speculation-rumour & may suffer last minute changes according on how the Coaches of both teams may see fit.

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY FINAL RESULT | FC BARCELONA INTO THE FINAL

FC Barcelona has drawn 1 - 1 away against Real Sociedad tonight in the 2º leg semi-final match of the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey. This results gives Barça a 3 - 1 overall aggregate & puts them into the Kings Cup Final were they will meet Real Madrid.

Bit of an anti-climax in my opinion as there was a pre-match "vibe" in the air that perhaps Real Sociedad could pull off a surprise. Instead they found in from of them an FC Bareclona XI that palyed one of their best games this season, especially the first half were they "dazzled" Real Sociedad with dominating touch Football. Lionel Messi decided to put up his "party piece" attacking the forwards head-on to find a space & bang his left foot for a goal curler in the 27th min. Things were basically sealed at this point.

Surprisingly the home team played its best Football with 15 minutes left. A bit too late to attempt a turnaround but they made happy their home fans showing that they too are proud to have gotten to the semis. Real Sociedad French forward Antoine Griezmann scored the equalizer in the 86th min & at least gave the scoreline a "sweet taste".

Spanish Football will soon have another "clasico" - Real Madrid / FC Barcelona - coming soon. Who will win the Copa de Rey ?

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SPANISH CUP - COPA DEL REY ( KINGS CUP ) FINAL RESULT | REAL MADRID INTO THE FINAL

Real Madrid has sealed its place in this seasons Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey ( Kings Cup ) Final after defeating Atletico de Madrid 0 - 2 tonight in the 2º leg semi-final match. The overall aggregate of 5-0 to Real Madrid would disappoint most Atletico de Madrid followers but the real damage was done in the 1ºst leg game last week.

Atletico de Madrid kind of accepted that a turnaround would be almost impossible & fielded a team with only two regular players, Koke & Miranda, assuming that the real battles would be up ahead in the future. Coach Simeone has now put his objectives in Liga & in attempting to go as far as possible in Champions League. 

Real Madrid on the other hand has sufficient resources to give Isco & Varane a start & the team did not notice the absence of those they replaced. The depth of talent is such that Real Madrid can concentrate & attempt to win all  three season titles as their super budget obliges them to do so.

The match was over in the 16th min. Real Madrid went up 2 - 0 with two penalties scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 6th min & in the 16th min. From here it was a more relaxed attitude from Real Madrid which kept the flow thinking in their upcoming appointments of Liga & Champions League. Young defender Rafael Varane in after a lengthy stint sidelined with his knee problem was able to test his fitness & by the looks of things it all went Ok. 

Atletico de Madrid pulled from pride & attempted to at least score to give their home fans something to cheer about but the "non-starters" have not enough playing time together to really dent the "armour" of their arch rivals. They tried until the last minute but they knew in their heads that they would front bigger & much more important battles in the coming weeks & months. 

Tomorrow Real Sociedad - FC Barcelona in the other 2º leg semi-final. The aggregate is 0 - 2 in Barça favour & it is possible that Real Sociedad can turn this around. A game not to be missed!

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