Valencia win Cup to ease the pressure on coach Koeman

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

MADRID (AFP) — Two goals inside the first 11 minutes helped give Valencia coach Ronald Koeman a night to savour, after a miserable season in La Liga, as his men beat Getafe 3-1 in the Spanish Cup final here Wednesday.

Failure to win the Cup would almost certainly have seen Koeman depart company from the Spanish side, who have only won one of their last nine league games, perhaps even being sacked before the end of the season.

However, now that Valencia have ensured a return to European competition next year after lifting their seventh Spanish Cup, the under-fire Dutchman may yet have a future at the club and be able to mould it in his image.

Valencia struck quickly to take control of the game being played in Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon stadium, just a...