The Spanish Cup or the Copa Del Ray has been a graveyard for the top teams in Spain, but the cream has finally risen to the top. Deportivo La Coruna had made it to the final and Real Madrid looked to join them there, but they had to overturn a first leg deficit of 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao. Real needed a huge stroke of luck against Bilbao to take the lead three minutes into the second half. Bilbao's defender Inigo Larrainzer failed to control a Luis Figo corner to score an own goal. The second goal for Madrid though was more convincing, with skipper Raul hitting a nice header. Substitute Guti put the result beyond doubt when he brilliantly controlled a Roberto Carlos cross before drilling the ball home. Real went on to win 3-0. They now face Deportivo in the final.
Costa Rica in final The semi-final of the Gold Cup saw Costa Rica get a penalty in the 38th minute against South Korea, after Choi handled the ball in the area. Fortunately for the Koreans, Hernan Medford hit the spot kick over the bar. Costa Rica went 2-0 up in the 76th minute. South Korea managed to pull one back, but it was not enough as Wanchope sealed the 3-1 win for Costa Rica. They now play United States in the final on Saturday.
Senegal, Egypt advance Tunisia had to win against Senegal to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the African Cup. And they should have taken the lead a minute after they were awarded a penalty. However, a brilliant save by the Senegal keeper kept the match scoreless. Tunisia had a few other chances but failed to capitalize on them and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. The result means Senegal and Egypt secured the quarter-final spots, with Tunisia being eliminated from the tournament without so much as a goal to their name.
Saudi Arabia in good form The final of the Gulf Cup saw hosts Saudi Arabia take on the surprise team of the competition, Qatar. And the visitors stunned the Saudis, taking the lead with a powerful free kick from Ahmed Khalifa Hashim. Saudi Arabia went on the attack and it finally paid off for them. They scored three goals in the last 12 minutes for a 3-1 win. Winning the Gulf Cup for the first time since 1994 is good preparation no doubt as they prepare for their third World Cup appearance.
Topics mentioned in this article
Football