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Copa del Rey

Quarter finals, first leg

The best was saved to last in the first leg cup ties, Espanyol beating Sevilla 3-1 on Thursday evening to take a big step towards a place in the semi-finals. Caicedo put the Catalans ahead midway through the first half with an impressive shot into the top corner of the net after picking up a short pass from Víctor Sánchez, his fourth goal in eight days. And after that there were chances at both ends, Denis Suárez hitting the bar with a wide free kick and Gameiro and Fernando Navarro going close, and at the other end Sergio Rico saving from Arbilla and Nico Pareja blocking an effort from Víctor Alvarez. With a quarter of an hour to go Sergio García got the second from the penalty spot after Arribas cut out Víctor Sánchez’s cross with his arm, and Stuani and Lucas Vázquez both had shots saved before Sergio García put Lucas through to make it three with ten minutes to go. However with the game in injury time Bacca got a vital away goal after Duarte had cleared a shot from Iborra off the line, and Denis Suárez could have reduced the gap to one goal had he been able to find the target with the goal at his mercy just before the final whistle. (22.01.15)

The Spanish cup games are coming thick and fast this month, with the quarter finals taking place over the next two weeks. Three first leg ties on Wednesday, Atlético Madrid having to visit Barcelona after knocking out city rivals and defending champions Real Madrid in the previous round just seven days ago. Simeone’s side held on for a long time, but in the end they lost 1-0 thanks to a hotly disputed penalty late on after Busquets fell under a challenge from Juanfran, Messi knocking in the rebound after Oblak saved his spot kick. The two teams had draw five of their last seven meetings, and once again chances were few and far between, with Neymar testing Oblak early on and Messi firing a shot over the top, and Griezmann heading over the bar later in the first half, and neither keeper having much work to do until that late penalty. There was a late blow for Simeone though when Godín picked up his third booking of the tournament near the end, meaning he will miss the return leg next Wednesday.

Whatever happens in that match though, the winners will meet the winners of the tie between Villarreal and Getafe, Marcelino’s side closing in on a first ever Copa del Rey semi-final after a 1-0 victory in their Madrigal stadium earlier in the evening. With the league a priority, the visitors made eight changes to their line-up, but the home side were unable to finish them off until late on, Gerard Moreno in particular failing to convert four of five good chances against an excellent Jonathan, Getafe’s third choice keeper. Giovani had a strike ruled out for a clear offside, and Mario headed a corner just over the bar, but Yoda also went close at the other end a couple of times before Bruno finally found the net with a well struck free kick with just five minutes to go.

On the other side of the draw, the tie between Málaga and Athletic Bilbao is in the balance after the two teams drew 0-0 in their first leg match. It was dull ninety minutes for the fans though, the only chances in the first half coming when Iturraspe almost headed a wide Horta free kick into his own net, and when Ochoa made a spectacular save from a long shot by Ibai Gómez. After the interval De Marcos and Amrabat fired shots wide of the mark when free on goal, and Weligton was let off a penalty appeal when the ball hit him on the arm in the area. All to do next week though, and to add to the mix the two sides meet in the league as well on Sunday. Hopefully there will be a bit more action! (21.01.15)