Copa del Rey: Sevilla Celebrations Prove Cup Magic Still Exists

The Nou Camp bore witness to a second set of raucous celebrations in a matter of days, as Sevilla clinched the Copa del Rey trophy after a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid.

The fireworks, streamers and confetti were once again out in force, in a celebration nearly a match for the triumphant partying of Barcelona on Sunday. All quite the surprise, considering how insignificant the trophy is considered in Spain.

For those in England, complaining about the diminished reputation of the FA Cup, spare a thought for their rivals to the title of ‘Best League in the World’. The Copa Del Rey has no real reputation to lose.

Already pawned to midweek slots, upsets are sneered upon, clubs play weakened sides and success in the competition generally shows that you have very little else on your plate.

In fact, it was only a matter of weeks prior to the final that the Spanish FA actually set a date and venue for the final. With the two finalists already sorted, they tried to find a day that would be suitable to squeeze this unimportant fixture in, without disrupting the league season that really matters.

Sure, Real Madrid’s humiliating thrashing by Alcorcon raised a few eyebrows and heaped some early pressure upon doomed incumbent, Manuel Pellegrini. However, if such a result had occurred in the Champions League, the Chilean would have been out of the door before the football dailies even hit the presses.

The Copa Del Rey only meant something to Barcelona last season, as it was the other piece in an historic and unprecedented treble. Exit to Sevilla in January was seen somewhat as a blessing, as there were worries it would hamper their La Liga and Champions League challenges.

The two sides involved on Wednesday fall into the bracket of needing the success. Sevilla were spoilt by the Ramos era and the fans have been craving trophies since. Elimination at the hands of CSKA Moscow meant their European adventure ended in February and, with the league already being destroyed by Barca and Real, the cup was all that was left.

Atletico had a miserable start to the season, meaning a mid-table finish was the best they could hope for. A Europa League run made things rather tiring on players, but cup runs have been required to salvage some pride from the season.

But, at the end of the day, a final is a final. And these two sides went at it hammer and tongs on the pitch to reward their suffering fans with a slice of glory.

The fans may have been in good spirits in the stands, singing the other side’s anthems, but there was no love lost on the pitch as both sides thundered into each other. On numerous occasions did the sides square up to each other, with Didier Zokora the main antagonist, as per usual.

There were spells of desperate defending. Sebastien Squillaci was on hand to block on the goal-line twice, with Andres Palop having a very shaky game between the sticks. Julien Escude also had to make some last ditch tackling to deny Atletico.

It took a stunning early strike from Diego Capel and a last minute goal born of sheer pace from Jesus Navas to settle an entertaining game and cue wild celebrations from the Sevilla players.

A series of sombreros were handed out to the players by coaching staff, something that has become cult amongst fans, in honour of president Jose Maria Del Nino. Players jigged about in these, whilst a blow-up female doll also made its way into proceedings.

Most touchingly of all, Andres Palop disappeared momentarily and re-emerged sporting the number 16, previously worn by the deceased Antonio Puerta. Whilst a few other players had been invited along to join the celebrations, the sight of the late winger’s shirt being part of things was a poignant reminder of the affection felt for one of their own.

So whilst Spain may treat the competition with an air of contempt, nobody can take away the importance of the Copa Del Rey from Sevilla. For them it means the world. For the club, for the fans and at last, a dedication of silver for their departed son, Antonio Puerta.