Cup final

Real Madrid 2 - Zaragoza 3 (after extra time)

Real Madrid: César; Michel Salgado, Iván Helguera, Raúl Bravo, Roberto Carlos; Beckham, Guti; Figo, Zidane, Solari (Portillo 84'); Raúl. 4-2-3-1.
Zaragoza: Lainez; Cuartero, Alvaro, Milito, Toledo; Cani, Ponzio (Generelo 69'), Movilla, Savio (Juanele 96'); David Villa, Dani (Galletti 61'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
1-0. 24. Beckham. Bent it like Beckham in off the post.
1-1. 29. Dani. Controlled Savio cross and fired shot past César.
1-2. 45. David Villa (penalty). After Villa himself fouled by Guti.
2-2. 48. Roberto Carlos. Crashed low free kick into bottom corner of net.
2-3. 111. Galletti. Hit shot across César from edge of area.

Zaragoza beat Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling cup final which was only settled in extra time. "Los Galacticos" were clear favourites to win the cup for the first time in eleven years, with only the injured Ronaldo unavailable from the first choice line up. Queiroz decided to keep César in goal though rather than Casillas, the number two keeper having played right through this competition.

Víctor Muñoz's side were no push over though, having drawn in the Santiago Bernabeu at the weekend and won the three games before that, and after losing that final to Madrid in 1993, they had won the cup twice in the last ten years. The manager could count on all his best players, and decided to give Cani the right wing spot in place of Galletti.

Madrid made the early running, and Guti missed a good chance midway through the first half when he lobbed wide when free in front of goal. Two minutes later though David Beckham put them in front with a long free kick which bent away from Lainez and in off the post.

But the Aragonés side came back to lead at the break, Dani collecting Savio's chipped cross to control the ball on his knee and fire a shot past César on the half hour mark, and David Villa getting a second from the penalty spot after Guti brought him down in the area on the stroke of half time.

Beckham had hit the post with a second free kick between Zaragoza's goals, and three minutes in to the second half Madrid were awarded another outside of the area. This time though Roberto Carlos stepped up to crash a low shot round the defensive wall and in to the net to make it all square again.

Now Madrid were back in the game, and Lainez had to be at his best to save a Zidane header at full stretch. Referee Carmona Méndez had been dishing out yellow cards left. right and centre, and when Cani was sent off after picking up two bookings in a minute, the game swung in favour of the Merengues. But although Helguera went close with a header, the ten men held on under Milito's excellent stewardship to take the game into extra time.

The yellow cards kept on coming though, and numbers were evened up five minutes in to the restart when Guti also got picked up a second caution (Carmona ended with a record 17 yellows and two reds). The game was being played at a frantic pace, with Lainez sticking out a foot to save from Zidane and César stopping an effort from Villa at the other end.

Then with nine minutes to go Movilla left the ball for substitute Galletti to strike a bouncing shot past César, and the impossible had happened. Madrid came back desperately, and Raúl got the ball in the net a few minutes later but it was ruled out for offside. But there was no time left, and soon afterwards Carmona called an end to proceedings.

Zaragoza had won, fitting revenge for the discarded Milito and Savio, and a return to glory for the hitherto forgotten Dani and Movilla. Celebrations were brief out of respect for the victims of last week's bombings in Madrid. But football was the winner, and Víctor Muñoz's team returned to their home town triumphant, their place in next season's UEFA cup guaranteed in style.