MY ACCOUNT
A tearful Joaquin dedicated Real Betis’ Copa del Rey triumph to all the club’s supporters, after a tense penalty-shootout win over Valencia on Saturday.
Scores were locked at 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Hugo Duro cancelling out Borja Iglesias’ opener for Betis in the 11th minute. Yunus Musah’s miss in the shootout gifted the eventual opportunity for Juan Miranda to give Betis the 5-4 win on penalties, and the 22-year-old held his nerve.
“Long live Betis even when they lose” has become a mantra for supporters, with the club being relegated twice since their last Copa del Rey triumph in 2005.
The 37-year-old Joaquin, the boyhood Betis fan who was also playing against his old team on Saturday, could not hide his emotion post-match.
“These tears are the suppressed emotion of all these days, of seeing the people and how they supported us, knowing the responsibility of playing this type of game,” he told TVE. “It is normal for these tears to flow. We are very happy.
“Let’s enjoy the moment, we are Copa del Rey champions, and we dedicate it to everyone who is by our side – the staff, the coaches, the cooks, all the people who are not seen, for my daughters, my wife, my brothers, my parents, all the Beticos.”
In characteristic Betis fashion, they had to do it the hard way against a Valencia team willing to absorb pressure.
The Verdiblancos went close to scoring a winner as Sergio Canales hit the frame of the goal, with Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili also denying Iglesias and Nabil Fekir.
Joaquin, the Betis captain and surviving member from that 2005 victory, believes his side’s eventual triumph and contention for the Champions League this season was reflective of the steady improvement they have shown since gaining promotion back to LaLiga in 2015.
“I think that the work of this season and seasons past has been seen today, of gradually achieving goals and improving the team,” he said.
“We are having a great season, all the fans deserve it, congratulations to Valencia because they also would have been fair winners. Penalties are a lottery but we also deserved it. It is a joy for all the Beticos.”
