Valencia delays Copa celebrations

BEIJING, April 18 -- Valencia will not celebrate its Copa del Rey triumph until the team's Spanish league position improves.

Ronald Koeman's team lifted what otherwise has been a dismal season by beating Getafe 3-1 in the final of Spain's knockout competition at Vicente Calderon stadium on Wednesday.

Juan Manuel Mata and Alexis Ruano scored early for Valencia.

Getafe, which has played in Spain's top division for only four of its 62 years, stayed without a major trophy in its 62-year history.

Esteban Granero replied for Getafe with a penalty at the end of the first half only for substitute Fernando Morientes to head in Valencia's third in the 84th.

"We deserve it, both the team and the fans. The third goal was important because it kept us calm and brought us the cup," Morientes told Telecinco TV station.

Getafe substitute Fabio Celestini was ejected in the 90th for a wild tackle on midfielder David Silva.

Valencia's triumph earned it a place in next season's UEFA Cup. However, Valencia languishes in 15th place in the 20-team league, just five points above the relegation zone with six games of the season remaining. The last three teams drop to the second division at the end of the season.

"We will postpone the celebrations until we are a bit safer in the league. We arrive back in Valencia tomorrow (Thursday) and we'll continue with our normal routine. We're not sure if there'll be training in the afternoon but I'm sure there won't be anything special," Valencia captain Ruben Baraja told news agency Efe.

Under normal circumstances, the team would parade the trophy before supporters in an open-topped bus, stopping by Valencia's city hall and paying a visit to the city's basilica.

But on Sunday, the cup winners face a tricky league match at 10th-place Athletic Bilbao, where they have lost 44 times in 72 previous visits.

Media reports suggest that if Valencia is beaten again at San Mames stadium, Koeman could be fired. Since replacing the sacked Quique Sanchez Flores in November, the Dutch coach has led the team to only 18 league points from 21 games.

"I know there are rumors about my future and sometimes rumors turn out to be true but I haven't been told anything so far. What happens to me is not in my hands," Koeman said after Wednesday's victory, which brought Valencia its seventh Copa del Rey title and a place in next season's UEFA Cup.

Before Wednesday's game at least, Koeman had become increasingly unpopular with Valencia supporters irritated by the club's recent failures on the field.

Valencia won the Spanish league in 2002 and 2004 and the UEFA Cup in 2004 - all under now Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez - but up until now had won nothing since then. The problems led club president Juan Soler to resign last month.

Getafe, coached by Koeman's former FC Barcelona teammate Michael Laudrup, was making its second appearance in the final of Spain's knockout competition. Last season, it lost 0-1 against Sevilla. The defeat also compounded a disappointing week for the modest club from the Madrid region. Last Thursday in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals, a 10-man Getafe conceded two goals in the final minutes of extra time to lose to Bayern Munich on away goals.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)