Spanish Roundup

Valencia falls to third division side in Cup

MADRID (Reuters) -- Third division Alicante came back from 3-1 down in extra-time to beat Spanish champions Valencia on penalties and provide the shock of the night in the second round of the King's Cup on Wednesday.

Two other top flight sides suffered defeats, Athletic Bilbao losing 2-1 to third division Real Union de Irun and Malaga going down 2-0 to second division leaders Xerez.

The big surprise was not served up until late, though, as Valencia somehow contrived to lose a match they had sewn up.

After the first 90 minutes finished 1-1, Rafa Benitez's side moved into a commanding lead with goals from Juan Sanchez, a fine angled shot from Miguel Angel Angulo's pass, and Mista.

Alicante scored twice in two minutes through Juli and Toni Garcia, though, and the home side clinched the win 5-4 on penalties as Valencia's Brazilian fullback Fabio Aurelio missed with the last kick of the game.

Real Betis had been facing a big upset as they trailed third division Palamos 3-1 early in the second half.

Goals from Fernando and Rivera forced extra-time, though, and the Andalucians ran out 6-3 winners, Joaquin, Marcos Assuncao and Fernando Varela sparing their blushes.

Real Madrid had no such problems, the European champions moving smoothly through to the third round as what was virtually a reserve side won 4-0 away to second division Real Oviedo.

Coach Vicente del Bosque left 10 first team regulars at home, including Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, Raul and Luis Figo, but the European champions eased to victory with two goals apiece from Tote and Javier Portillo.

"We had the right attitude and that made it look easy," said Del Bosque. "The players were highly professional.

"It's always hard to leave players out but that's the job of the coach. I had faith in the team I chose tonight and I'm glad the players had the chance to show how useful they can be to this club."

Cup holders Deportivo Coruna won through to the last 16 on Tuesday with a 4-3 success at local rivals Racing Ferrol.

Celta Vigo are away to Numancia in the final second round match on Thursday.

Espanyol confirms dismissal of coach Ramos

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Espanyol confirmed the dismissal of its coach Juande Ramos, two weeks after it suspended him from his duties.

The first-division club also announced that Ramos would not receive any compensation, a decision news reports said Wednesday that he would probably seek to overturn through legal action.

Ramos was suspended Oct. 20 after he had railed against Espanyol's board of directors on several occasions.

The 48-year-old coach, who left Real Betis to take charge during the summer, failed to lead Espanyol to a win in its first five league games of the season. He blamed the club for not signing the players he wanted.

His replacement, Ramon Moya, began his turn as caretaker coach by leading the team to two successive league victories.

The Barcelona-based club, which lies 18th in Spain's 20-team first division, suffered a home defeat against Valencia in Moya's third game in charge last weekend.

Puyol signs new five-year contract at Barcelona

BARCELONA (Reuters) -- Spanish World Cup fullback Carles Puyol has agreed a new contract with Barcelona that will keep him at the Catalan club until 2007.

"My intention was always to stay at Barcelona so I'm very happy with this agreement," Puyol told the club's Web site on Wednesday.

"Now I just want to concentrate on helping Barcelona, as I have done up to now," he said.

The shaggy-haired 24-year-old, a fixture on the right side of defense for Barca and Spain's national team, broke off negotiations over a renewed contract before the start of the season, leading to speculation that he could be lured away.

Puyol came through the youth system at Barcelona, making his first team debut in October 1999 and becoming a full member of the squad the following year.

He has since established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in Spain and his new contract will see him pass from being one of the worst paid players in the squad to one of the best.

No prizes for coming second at Barcelona

BARCELONA (Reuters) -- Barcelona players will have to end a three-year title drought to earn bonuses after agreeing a new system of incentives with the club.

In the past, players have been awarded bonuses on a sliding scale, with prize money on offer not just for winning competitions but also for getting through each round or finishing above a certain position in the league.

After three seasons without a major title the players have agreed to a shake-up in their system of payments, though, and they will now have to bring home some silverware to improve on their basic salaries.

"We consider this to be a very positive step," the club's managing director Javier Perez Farguell said after a three-year agreement was reached with the players. "It's important that the prize money is conditioned on winning titles."

The club issued no details of the amounts agreed but Spanish media reported that the players will share six million euros ($5.98 million) for winning the Spanish first division title, while 10 million euros (US$9.96 million) would be up for grabs for winning the Champions League.

Barcelona have not won a major title since 1999 when coach Louis van Gaal steered the side to their second successive league title in his first spell in charge.

 

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