MADRID, 31 January 2004 — Real Zaragoza edged past Barcelona and into the semifinals of the King’s Cup on Thursday, drawing the second leg 1-1 to clinch a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Barcelona, trailing 1-0 after a dismal performance in the first leg at the Nou Camp, leveled the overall score when Luis Garcia cracked in a spectacular volley in the 12th minute.
The Catalans might easily have increased their lead but they were left to rue a series of missed chances when Yordi hooked in a loose ball from a corner five minutes from time. Zaragoza will join Real Madrid, Sevilla and second division Alaves in the draw for the semifinals.
Defeat for Barcelona will pile pressure on coach Frank Rijkaard, who has been under fire from local media for the team’s indifferent performances this season.
Barcelona were given just the start they wanted with Garcia’s stunning goal.
Ronaldinho hit a low free kick that rebounded off the wall and straight to Garcia a few meters outside the box to blast back past Cesar Lainez with a first-time strike.
Ronaldinho and Xavi, in complete charge in midfield, created several chances with their astute passing but Lainez was sharp to block at the feet of Patrick Kluivert after 20 minutes and then palm away a goalbound Edgar Davids shot.
Rijkaard surprisingly opted to take off Kluivert, Davids and Ronaldinho in the second half and Zaragoza took advantage to clinch victory when Gabriel Milito’s header fell to Yordi to fire home.
Niang Steers Senegal to First Victory
In Bizerte, Tunisia, Senegal got their African Nations Cup campaign firmly on track with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Kenya in Group B yesterday.
The World Cup quarterfinalists, who drew their opener 0-0 with Burkina Faso, went ahead through Mamadou Niang after only four minutes and midfielder Pape Bouba Diop’s 19th-minute effort along with another from Niang put them three up before halftime. Kenya striker Dennis Oliech missed a second-half sitter that could only have made the scoreline more respectable as his team ensured themselves a first round exit.
Victory lifted Senegal to provisional top slot in the group before Mali, who started with a 3-1 win over Kenya, took on Burkina Faso in the day’s late kick-off in Tunis.
Senegal, losing finalists to Cameroon in 2002, were under orders from coach Guy Stephan to make the Kenyan net bulge and needed only minutes to comply.
Striker Niang, who had already missed a free header, made no mistake when he latched on to El Hadji Diouf’s defense-splitting pass, rounded keeper Francis Onyiso and steered the ball past the last defender.
Their ideal start could easily have gone awry, though, with some better finishing from Kenya strikers Oliech and Mike Okoth, who both failed to exploit some sloppy Senegal defending.
Kenya paid the price in the 19th minute, when a first effort by Henri Camara was cleared off the line from a Diouf corner and Diop rifled the clearance back through a packed goalmouth.
Niang added his superb second in the 31st minute, working a one-two with Camara on the edge of the area and smacking his shot past Onyiso.
