Copa Del Rey Final: Mallorca 3, Recreativo 0
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o scored two late goals to lead Mallorca over Recreativo de Huelva 3-0 Saturday night in the championship of the Spanish King's Cup, then dedicated the game to the late Marc-Vivien Foe.
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o scored two late goals to lead Mallorca over Recreativo de Huelva 3-0 Saturday night in the championship of the Spanish King's Cup, then dedicated the game to the late Marc-Vivien Foe.
Eto'o was due to fly to Paris after the match and join Cameroon teammates, who are grieving the death of Foe, who collapsed and died during Thursday's semifinal win over Turkey in the Confederations Cup. Eto'o was embraced in by each Recreativo player before the opening kickoff.
"It's a very special victory. I have a teammate who is now at God's side. It's been a very difficult week. The victory is dedicated to him," Eto'o said.
It was unclear if Eto'o would be available to play for Cameroon in Sunday's Confederations Cup final against France at Saint-Denis.
Eto'o, who missed Cameroon's game against Turkey to return to his club for the Cup final, scored in the 73rd and 85th minutes. Walter Pandiani converted a penalty kick in the 21st minute for Mallorca, which won the tournament for the first time and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Recreativo, which has never won a major trophy in its 113-year history, finished 18th in the Spanish League at 8-12-18 and will be relegated to the second division next season.
It was the final game of the European season, which began last July 17 with the start of qualifying for the European Champions League, and the offseason lasts just 17 days: Qualifying for the 2003-04 Champions League starts July 16.
Last year, the European season ended May 15, leaving just 16 days before the start of the World Cup, which ran through June 30. The shortest summer break came when the 2000-01 season ended June 30 with the Spanish King's Cup final and the 2001-02 season began July 11 with the start of Champions League qualifying.