SEVILLE, Spain: Real Betis won the Spanish Copa del Rey on Saturday, beating Valencia 5-4 on penalties in Seville after a thrilling final finished 1-1 after extra time.
Valencia’s Yunus Musah blazed over in the shoot-out, allowing Juan Miranda the chance to score the winning penalty at La Cartuja as Betis claimed the fourth major trophy in the club’s 115-year history.
Borja Iglesias had headed Betis in front but Hugo Duro equalized for Valencia before half-time and neither side could find a winner, either in the second period or extra time.
But Musah’s error and Miranda’s cool head gave Betis the cup for a third time, in their home city, following the club’s two previous triumphs in 1977 and 2005.
Betis captain Joaquin hoisted the trophy after it was presented to him by the king of Spain, Felipe VI.
“I have tears of emotion, tears of joy,” said Joaquin. “It’s what we all wanted, to win a cup again, the Copa del Rey, as beautiful as we know it is.”
Joaquin, the 40-year-old winger, who made his debut for Betis aged 19 in 2000 and played in the final 17 years ago, came on in the 86th minute and scored a penalty. It remains to be seen whether he decides this is a fitting end now to what has been a remarkable career.
“I am going to enjoy the moment,” said Joaquin. “We are Copa del Rey champions and we dedicate this to all the people who have been with us — the coaching staff, masseurs, cooks, waiters — all those people whose work is not seen but deserve as much credit as us.”
Many had billed this as a clash of styles, with the swashbuckling approach of Betis tasked with breaking down the grit and resilience of Valencia, but in reality both teams contributed equally to an open and enthralling final.
“Football can be beautiful and it can also be cruel. It hurts,” said Valencia’s Jose Gaya.
It was only the second final in 14 years not to include any of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid and while Betis and Valencia are hardly minnows in Spain, there was no doubting the weight of the occasion for both clubs.
Valencia won the Copa del Rey in 2019, beating Barca in the final, but a fire-sale of key players under the controversial ownership of Peter Lim means the team have been more concerned about relegation in recent seasons than winning trophies.
Betis, meanwhile, have spent three seasons in the second tier since they last won it in 2005, the same year they finished fourth in La Liga, which they still hope to replicate this season but have never managed to repeat since.
Betis flew out of the blocks and took the lead in the 11th minute, a slick move down the right seeing Nabil Fekir slide through Hector Bellerin, who floated a superb cross into the area. Borja jumped high and headed straight, the power of the connection enough to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Valencia were shaking and Betis kept coming. Borja headed just wide and then almost latched onto an underhit backpass by Mouctar Diakhaby, which needed Mamardashvili to scramble clear.
But the Betis assault subsided and in the 30th minute Valencia struck, a brilliant counter-attack giving them a foothold in the final. Carlos Soler steered a superb first-time pass from the right wing into central midfield, where Ilaix Moriba had space to advance.
Duro was racing away but the gap was tight, Moriba feathering the ball through for his teammate, who scooped a delightful finish into the net.
The second period grew increasingly frantic, an end-to-end contest bringing Betis back into the ascendancy. Borja’s effort was well blocked by Valencia’s Gabriel Paulista before Juanmi hit the post, his drive beating Mamardashvili but not the frame.
Fekir almost won it in the last 10 minutes but was denied by Mamardashvili’s legs while Soler had a chance in injury time after a misplaced pass by Bellerin but Claudio Bravo made the stop.
Joaquin had come on, a fairytale in his sights, but nobody could find a winner and the quality dropped in extra time as fatigue and cramp set in.
Soler and Uros Racic scored confident penalties for Valencia, matched by those of Willian Jose and Joaquin for Betis, even if Mamardashvili got a hand to Joaquin’s shot.
Goncalo Guedes and Andres Guardado made no mistake but Musah erred, firing over to let Betis in. Cristian Tello and Gaya both scored, leaving Miranda with the chance to win it. Mamardashvili jumped right, the ball went left.
Real Betis beat Valencia on penalties to win Copa del Rey
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Real Betis beat Valencia on penalties to win Copa del Rey
- It was only the second final in 14 years not to include any of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid and while Betis and Valencia are hardly minnows in Spain, there was no doubting the weight of the occasion for both clubs
Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United
“We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games”
MANCHESTER, England: Ruben Amorim has told Manchester United fans he will do everything to bring the good times back to the 20-time English champion.
United’s new coach has been charged with ending more than a decade of decline at Old Trafford since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and their Premier League dominance fizzled out.
Amorim — hired from Sporting Lisbon this month — is embracing the challenge and said on Friday, “I will try to do everything to put this club in the place that it belongs. And I believe a lot that we are going to succeed.”
The 39-year-old Portuguese is the sixth permanent manager/coach since Ferguson retired after winning his 13th league title.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag all failed to return United to the summit of English and European soccer in a period when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have dominated domestically.
It is unlikely Amorim will change that after coming in partway through a season in which United made their worst league start since 1986.
“We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games,” Amorim told United’s in-house channel. “But the most important thing for me is identity. So, since day one we will start with our identity.”
Asked what could be expected from his team in the first weeks of his reign, he added: “I want to say beautiful things to you, but I’m really honest. But what I can say is that I think you will see an idea.”
Green Falcons arrive in Jakarta for World Cup Asian qualifier against Indonesia
- Saudi national football team to hold closed training session before facing hosts on Nov. 19
JAKARTA: The Saudi national football team will train behind closed doors in Jakarta on Saturday in preparation for their 2026 World Cup Asian qualifier match against Indonesia next Tuesday.
The Green Falcons arrived in the Indonesian capital on Friday and are scheduled to face off against the hosts on Nov. 19 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, as part of the sixth round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The national team delegation was welcomed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by the Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amoudi.
Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, expressed his appreciation to the embassy for the warm reception and the facilities provided to the team following their arrival from Melbourne.
The Green Falcons will hold a closed training session on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Gelora Jakarta Stadium.
5 things we learned from the latest action-packed 2026 World Cup 3rd-round qualifiers
1. Saudi Arabia leave Australia frustrated but facing in the right direction
Following the 0-0 draw with the Socceroos in Melbourne, Saudi striker Saleh Al-Shehri summed it up as: “We wanted to win, but a draw is not a bad result.”
The frustration was due to a disallowed goal. Had Sultan Al-Ghannam’s injury-time strike not been ruled out due to the tightest of offsides, this would have been one of the Green Falcons’ most famous qualification victories ever. It would have put them in the driving seat for second place, the only automatic qualifying spot remaining with Japan out in front.
Overall, however, there was much about which to be satisfied. While this was a love-to-win game, it was not a must-win — just a must-not-lose. It means, all things being equal, that a win over the Socceroos at home in 2025 will be enough.
After the first four Group C games, this felt like an oil tanker turning around. The Green Falcons may now be flying in the right direction.
2. Renard offers hope and second chances
It is not about who is the better coach — Herve Renard or Roberto Mancini — but about who is the best fit for Saudi Arabia.
The answer is, without question, Renard. The Frenchman has recalled players like Yasser Al-Shahrani, who was ditched by the Italian, and the decision was vindicated by the full-back’s performance.
Returning to four at the back, after the majority of Mancini’s games saw three, seemed to be welcomed by the players. They looked more comfortable from the beginning, with an impressive first half, and when the hosts took control after the break Renard was ready to make changes — helped by the excellent Saud Abdulhamid.
Given the injury to Salem Al-Dawsari, the team’s greatest offensive threat, the lack of creativity was no surprise. Scoring goals is a problem — taking just three from five games is a worry — and that has to change against Indonesia next week. If it does, the situation will look much better.
3. Bahrain will regret blowing their chance
There was plenty of drama all around Asia on Thursday and Riffa had more than its fair share as China beat Bahrain 1-0.
After Saudi Arabia and Australia drew earlier in the day to move onto six points, Bahrain had a chance to go two points clear and take control of the second automatic qualifying slot. Playing China at home was a perfect opportunity. Just imagine — if the Reds have won that and then beaten Australia next week, the Socceroos would have probably been out of the running.
That seemed to be the case in the 87th minute. Ali Haram stretched for a ball from deep and then scored an opportunistic goal, but it was ruled offside by a similar margin to that of Saudi Arabia’s. The defense fell asleep in injury time and then Zhang Yuning shot home.
It means that China are now level with Australia and Saudi Arabia, and suddenly there are four teams in the hunt for second place. For Bahrain, it could be a setback from which they do not recover.
4. Ali and Suhail the heroes for the UAE and Qatar
Over in Group A, the UAE beat Kyrgyzstan 3-0 while Qatar had a more difficult game as they defeated Uzbekistan 3-2. Both needed the victory.
A victory by Iran moved them clear in the top spot, meaning Uzbekistan, Qatar and the UAE are all chasing second. Qatar looked to be strolling to victory thanks to two goals from Almoez Ali, but then young forward Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored twice in five minutes for the opposition.
A draw looked imminent as play entered the 112th minute, but a last-gasp goal from Lucas Mendes sent the home fans wild.
The UAE had a much easier ride, with Hareb Abdalla bagging a brace as the Whites made short work of their Central Asian opposition. It means there is much riding on Tuesday’s clash between the two West Asian rivals in Al-Ain, and whoever loses may be out of the running for automatic qualification. It should be quite the occasion.
5. Oman make Group B a three-way clash
South Korea won 3-1 in Kuwait to move five points clear at the top of the group and there is little doubt the Taeguk Warriors will automatically qualify.
Yet something interesting is happening below them. It really looked as if the battle for second would be between Jordan and Iraq but these two teams played out a 0-0 draw in Basra to leave the 65,000 passionate home fans a little disappointed. Now both are on eight points.
Iraq were predictable and a bit too reliant on in-form forward Aymen Hussein, while Jordan will be the most satisfied of the two with the away draw.
Happier still are Oman, who beat Palestine 1-0 to collect a second successive win that moved them on to six points, just two behind the second and third spots. It means Palestine and Kuwait have a lot to do just to try and finish fourth.
Oman have their sights set on a bigger prize. A win against Iraq in Muscat on Tuesday really would really put the cat among the Group B pigeons.
Saudi Arabia fight back to stun Germany in NEOM Beach Soccer Cup 2024
NEOM: Hosts Saudi Arabia threw off their opening day defeat against England with a 7-6 win over Germany in the second day of action at the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup 2024.
Spurred on by the support of their fans at Gayal Beach, the national beach soccer team took to the sand on Thursday night.
Al-Hamami and Qasem gave Saudi Arabia a 2-0 lead in the first period and the hosts added two more goals to their tally in the second, Salman and Waleed both finding the net. Germany then closed the gap as Peterson scored a brace.
There was even more action in the third period, as four goals from Germany and two from the home side took the match into extra time at 6-6.
It was left to Waleed to score the winner and reward Saudi Arabia with two points on the board following their first win in this year’s competition.
Also in Group A, after securing a first-day victory against Germany, the UAE struck three times in the first 12 minutes against England with goals from Ali, Kamal and Mousab.
England responded well, finding the back of the net three times in the space of two minutes during the second period courtesy of a Robinson brace and one from Lawson. Despite the setback, A. Abbas restored the advantage for his team before the period ended.
Both teams were on target twice in the third and final period, A. Abbas scoring his second and goalkeeper Bahri hitting the target for the UAE. Lawson got his second for England, with Younie also striking home. But it was not enough, and the UAE clinched their second victory of the tournament to put them on maximum points.
The second Group B match of the day saw a repeat of the NEOM Beach Soccer Cup 2023 final as defending champions Brazil took on Japan.
The scores were even at 2-2 by the end of the first period, as Antonio scored two for Brazil, and Oba and Akaguma found the net for Japan. The teams were tied in the second phase of play too, Benjamin Jr. and Oba scoring within six seconds of each other.
Brazil secured victory in the third and final period with a brace from Edson Hulk and a goal from Datinha, although they conceded goals from Akaguma and Oba.
Eight teams are taking place in the men’s tournament during this third edition of the cup. Group A is made up of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, England and Germany, with Brazil, Spain, Japan and China in Group B.
In the women’s competition, defending champions Spain, 2022 participants England and Ukraine, and 2022 champions Brazil will take to the sand.
Tamam team defeats Casa Riyadh in Silver Cup tournament
RIYADH: The Tamam Polo Team claimed victory over rivals Casa Riyadh on Thursday, beating them 5-4 in the Silver Cup Championship.
Taking place at Nofa Equestrian Resort in Riyadh, this is the third edition of the tournament, which continues until Nov. 16.
The Tamam team included Hashem Al-Alawi, Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair, Faisal Abu Nayan and Marcelo Antonio. Representing Casa Riyadh were Prince Salman bin Sultan, Ibrahim Al-Harbi, Salman bin Haif and Muhammed Naveed.
The Silver Cup is the first tournament of the season, played in a points system where the team with the most goals wins in the event of a tie.
Friday will see Casa Riyadh face Tuwaiq in the second round.
