Pep departure ends cycle at Barca, says Cruyff

Former Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff says the Catalan club will see the end of a cycle when Pep Guardiola coaches them for the last time in the King's Cup final on Friday.

"With Guardiola, one cycle ends and another begins, and I don't mean it in a negative sense," the 65-year-old Cruyff said in an interview published Thursday before Guardiola's side take on Athletic Bilbao.

Uproar over call for closed-door Spanish Cup final

There was uproar in Spain on Wednesday over a call for this week's King's Cup final to be suspended and held behind closed doors in another stadium to thwart protests by Basque and Catalan separatists.

Madrid regional government president Esperanza Aguirre made the threat to scupper plans by some fans to whistle during the national anthem before Friday's match between Basque club Athletic Bilbao and Catalan giants Barcelona.

PREVIEW-Soccer-Barca waiting on Guardiola contract decision

MADRID, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Barcelona are in the unusual position of having drawn their last three matches as they prepare for Saturday’s home La Liga game against Real Sociedad and Pep Guardiola’s unwillingness to commit to a new contract is not helping settle jangled nerves.

Euphoria in Madrid as Real return to glory

Thursday was a public holiday in Madrid, which was just as well because many people would not have gone to work anyway after spending most of the night celebrating Real's 1-0 cup final defeat of Barcelona on Wednesday.Thousands of madridista fans braved the rainy and cold weather to greet Jose Mourinho's team returning from Valencia with the cup in the dead of night.

Spanish cup in safe hands after falling from Real Madrid team bus

 

The Spanish King's Cup trophy was almost crushed beyond repair in the small hours of Thursday morning, during the wild celebrations of Real Madrid after their surprise 1-0 defeat of favourites Barcelona.
Real flew back from Valencia, the scene of the final, to Madrid straight after the victory. They were parading the trophy from their open bus through the capital's rainy streets at four in

PREVIEW: Barcelona keen to clinch league after cup upset

Barcelona can hardly wait for Saturday to come.That's when they will be able to put behind them Wednesday's shock cup final defeat against Real Madrid by taking another step towards their third straight Liga title.Pep Guardiola's talented team were out-fought and out-punched on Wednesday by Real, who overcame the odds to win their first trophy since 2008.

'Ship captain' Mourinho answers critics with Cup win

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has answered his critics in the best possible way by adding an 18th King's Cup to the club's trophy cabinet and ending a two-year silverware drought on his debut season.
The Portuguese, who has now won domestic cups in his native country, England, Italy and

Real captain Ramos drops King's Cup under a bus

Sergio Ramos suffered an embarrassing mishap during Real Madrid's celebration of Wednesday's King's Cup triumph when he dropped the trophy off the top of a bus at their victory parade.

Ronaldo seals dramatic Spanish Cup win for Real

Real Madrid claimed their first trophy under Jose Mourinho in dramatic fashion when Cristiano Ronaldo's

 extra-time winner secured a 1-0 King's Cup final victory over arch-rivals Barcelona on Wednesday.

With penalties looming in a tense and occasionally brutal clash at

Spanish King's Cup winners since 1939

1938-39 Sevilla 6 Racing Ferrol 2

1939-40 Espanyol 3 Real Madrid 2

1940-41 Valencia 3 Espanyol 1

1941-42 Barcelona 4 Athletic Bilbao 3
1942-43 Athletic Bilbao 1 Real Madrid 0
1943-44 Athletic Bilbao 2 Valencia 0

Wounded leaders Barca looking for La Liga lift

Barcelona cannot afford to wallow in the pain of Wednesday's King's Cup final defeat to great rivals Real Madrid and must focus on protecting their eight-point lead in La Liga, striker David Villa said.
Real's dramatic 1-0 victory in Valencia, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's 103rd-minute header, ended

Real Madrid return to glory by winning Spanish cup

Real Madrid won their first trophy since 2008 by beating favourites Barcelona 1-0 in the final of the Spanish King's Cup on Wednesday in Valencia.Cristiano Ronaldo guided Real to their first Spanish cup win since 1993 by heading in an extra-time winner to break the tense satalemate.The final whistle in Valencia provoked euphoria and delight in Madrid among fans who have had to endure Barcelona's domination in recent years.