UPDATE 2-Soccer-Sevilla crown brilliant season with King's Cup

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By Simon Baskett

MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - Sevilla crowned an outstanding season with victory in the King's Cup final when a first-half strike from leading scorer Frederic Kanoute earned them a 1-0 win over Bernd Schuster's Getafe on Saturday.

Kanoute grabbed the winner in a tight, hot-tempered contest at the Bernabeu stadium when he raced clear from a few metres inside the Getafe half and stroked the ball past goalkeeper Luis Garcia into the net after 11 minutes.

But the evening ended on a low note for the Mali striker when he was sent off for retaliating after being fouled in the dying minutes of the game.

For his team, however, it was a fitting end to a brilliant campaign that began with victory over Barcelona in the European Super Cup and continued with a successful defence of the UEFA Cup when they beat fellow Spaniards Espanyol last month.

"I can't find the words to explain a season like this," said Sevilla captain Javi Navarro. "It's going to take time for all of this to sink in. We've made a huge effort and now we've been rewarded for it."

Getafe coach Bernd Schuster won six King's Cups as a player but his luck deserted him this time as the first-time finalists fought tooth and nail throughout but lacked the firepower to break down the streetwise Sevilla defence.

There was some consolation for the modest Madrid side, however, because they will play in the UEFA Cup next season because Sevilla have qualified for the Champions League.