Valencia added the Uefa Cup to their Spanish league title with a 2-0 win over a Marseille side forced to play half of Wednesday’s final with 10 men after goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was sent off.
After losing two Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, it proved to be third time lucky for Rafael Benitez’s side with the red card Barthez received for pulling down Valencia striker Mista at the end of the first half proving fatal for Marseille.
Spain midfielder Vicente Rodriguez dispatched the spot-kick that resulted from Barthez’s foul and Mista killed the match as a contest with a superbly taken strike just before the hour mark.
Marseille will go home bitterly disappointed not to have built on a promising opening half hour in the Ullevi stadium.
But Jose Anigo’s side can nevertheless be satisfied with a campaign that has re-established the European credentials of France’s biggest and best-supported club.
As recently crowned champions of what is widely regarded as Europe’s strongest league, Valencia’s seasoned campaigners went into the encounter as clear favourites to out-punch a young Marseille side currently seventh in their own championship.
The Spaniards underlined that status by landing the first telling blow of the encounter, Ruben Baraja’s first-time shot from the edge of the area forcing Barthez to dive to his left to palm the ball away.
But by the half-hour mark the underdogs were well ahead on points and, with better finishing, could also have been leading by at least one goal.
Steve Marlet, who had earlier been booked for a crude hack at Amedeo Carboni, lunged more productively to get his head to Camel Meriem’s bouncing cross, although the former Fulham striker was unable to keep his effort down.
A minute later Meriem pushed his shot wide after Roberto Ayala’s headed clearance fell invitingly at his feet on the edge of the area.
The best chance was spurned by Habib Beye, who was allowed a free header from Meriem’s free-kick but sent his glancing effort high and wide of the target.
The price of those misses was extracted in the dying seconds of the first half when Curro Torres swept a menacing cross from close to the right touchline towards Barthez’s back post.
Marseille centreback Habib Beye mistimed his jump, offering Mista the opportunity to peel away and chest the ball down before clipping it past Barthez, who was unable to avoid pulling down the striker.
The referee, Pierluigi Collina, was left with no alternative but to point to the spot and then point Barthez in the direction of the dressing room.
Vicente had more than three minutes to dwell on the penalty he was about to take but there was not the slightest hint of nerves as he sent Barthez’s replacement, Jeremy Gavanon, the wrong way.
The left-sided midfielder was also the architect of the goal that put the result beyond any reasonable doubt.
Set clear on the left flank, he carried the ball deep into Marseille territory before finding Mista in the centre, just outside the area. The striker still had plenty of work to do but a deft first touch carried him beyond Marseille captain Brahim Hemdani and the outside of his left boot steered the ball into Gavanon’s right-hand corner.
Marseille finally managed to hit the target soon afterwards but Didier Drogba’s free-kick was punched away by Santiago Canizares and the Valencia goalkeeper was not seriously perturbed again. — Sapa-AFP