First round

Matches played on 26th October

The Spanish cup began this week, with the draw regionalized and first division sides seeded to play away against lower division opposition. Three matches were brought forward to Tuesday night.

Deportivo La Coruña were the first team to kick off against regional third division side Cerceda on a wet and windy night, and they had little problem after Diego Tristán put them ahead midway through the first half. The Spanish international striker was making his first start of the season after returning from injury, and Irureta also gave a run out to several of his non-regular players, including B team midfielder Pita who made his first team debut late on. Both sides were left with ten men after Nacho and Sergio were sent off after a scuffle on the half hour mark, and Munúa had to be at his best to save efforts from Iñaki, Franqueira and Adrian either side of the break. Changui missed a chance to put his side further ahead in the second half, but Tristán wrapped things up heading home Héctor's cross ten minutes from the end.

Real Madrid manager García Remón also rested most of his first choice players against Leganés, but still put out a side which included Owen and Morientes up front. And they were to combine to get a goal apiece as their side won 1-2, with Morientes opening the scoring from close range after keeper Sergio Vera could only push out Owen's shot in the twentieth minute. Morientes repaid the compliment in the third minute after the restart, setting up the England striker for his third in eight days, but Dani Ruíz got one back from a free kick which caught César off his line a few minutes later, and Madrid were let off the hook later on when the referee ignored appeals for a penalty when the ball hit Paredes on the arm in the area.

Osasuna made three out of three for first division sides, although they were taken to a penalty shoot out by Castellón after ending 0-0 after extra time. The second division B side put up a good fight and could even have won it after hitting the woodwork twice, Castell's shot bouncing off the outside of the post on the stroke of half time and Manu Busto striking the post again after the break. Osasuna's best effort was a shot by Muñoz in the first half which the keeper turned away, and it was left up to the penalty kicks to decide. Cuéllar missed one for the visitors but Orland and Juli were both unable to beat Elía and the Pamplona based side ended up winning 2-4. (26.10.04)

Matches played on 27th October

Surprises in the cup on Wednesday night and they all came from Catalonia, where no less than four first division sides were knocked out, including the current league leaders Barcelona and reigning league and cup winners Valencia and Zaragoza, plus Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol. All the other first division sides who played on Wednesday night made it through, although Betis and Levante were taken to penalties and Mallorca, Racing and Albacete only qualified in extra time.

The biggest shock of the night was undoubtedly at Gramanet, where Barcelona were unable to score on the second division B side's artificial pitch in 120 minutes, and ended up losing 1-0 in extra time. Frank Rijkaard's side did almost all the attacking but local keeper Castilla had the game of his life, and Xavi had a goal disallowed for a borderline offside near to full time. The match went into extra time though, and Olles sent the local fans wild with a strike from the edge of the area which took a slight deflection off a defender to beat keeper Rubén.

Earlier in the evening Barcelona's neighbours Espanyol lost on a penalty shoot out to Terrassa after drawing the match 1-1. Jesús Muñoz put the second division side ahead, connecting with a Juan Carlos cross in the seventh minute, but they were left with ten men early in the second half when Vanzini picked up a second booking. Lotina brought on Tamudo and Martín Posse in the second half, and the two combined for Posse to poke home an equaliser ten minutes from the end. But Tamudo missed a couple of chances in extra time, and Posse's penalty kick was saved by David Valle in the shoot out to take the home side through 5-3 on spot kicks.

Last year's cup winners Zaragoza were beaten 2-1 by Gimnastic Tarragona, a last minute strike by Zapater not enough to pull back two earlier goals. The Catalans went ahead when Pinilla scrambled the ball over the line in only the second minute, and although a full strength Zaragoza could have equalised, Fernando made it two just seven minutes after the restart. Víctor Muñoz's side were struck a serious blow a few minutes later when central defenders Milito and Alvaro were both sent off for second bookable offences within two minutes of each other, and Nàstic could have added to their score before Zapater's late consolation.

Reigning champions Valencia continued their recent bad run, losing 1-0 at Lleida thanks to a strike by half time substitute Crusat a quarter of an hour from the end. Claudio Ranieri's men hardly troubled their ex keeper David Rangel all night despite having most of the possession, a Fiore free kick in the first half the only real attempt at target, and their opponents could have won by a bigger margin in the end if it was not for Palop.

Several other first division sides struggled, in particular Levante who came close to being another first division scalp for the Catalans when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Badalona. Bernd Schuster's side had several chances, the best of which was a header from Culebras which the keeper saved, but in the end they went through 2-4 on the penalty shoot out after Macanás missed and then Aizpurúa saved Pibe's kick. It was all too much for Schuster's assistant manager Manolo Ruiz and Badalona boss, ex Barcelona and Spain star Ramón Calderé, both being shown the red card by the referee for protesting.

Betis were also unable to score against a second division B side, the Andalusians scraping through 2-4 on the penalty shoot out against Alcalá after the match ended 0-0. Local keeper Javi was the star for much of the match, including saving an extra time penalty by Fernando after Capi was fouled by Aurelio (who was sent off in the incident), and Capi himself hit the bar a few minutes later. But it was Betis keeper Doblas who won it with a save from Garcés after Vergara had missed as well to take the first division team through.

Racing Santander threw away a two goal advantage but beat Amurrio 2-3 in the end thanks to a goal in the last minute of extra time. Strikes by Cristian Alvarez and Nafti in a three minute period around half time had given the Cantabrians what looked like an unassailable lead. But Kali Garrido pulled one back early in the second half and then Pierini put through his own net to square the match. Raúl Calle could have won it for the 2B side if his header had not gone just wide, but with penalties on the cards, a long shot from Morán saved the nerves of the visiting fans.

Controversy at Rayo Vallecano, where the game was held up for several minutes as players and fans protested the referee's decision to award a penalty to manager-less Mallorca in the final minutes of extra time after Luis García fell in the area, Farinós eventually driving home the spot kick for a 0-1 win. The wet conditions had made play difficult, but the home side had a chance to wrap things up after visiting defender Iván Ramis was sent off for a foul on Geni five minutes after the restart. Westerveld made a couple of key saves though, and caretaker manager Tomeu Llompart had his first victory under the belt.

Albacete also left it late, a goal two minutes from the end of extra time by Iván Díaz taking them through at Ceuta. The North African side (with ex Tottenham and Zaragoza player Nayim acting as assistant manager) could have taken the lead had Gaspercic not stopped an effort from his old team-mate at Betis, Maldonado. But the locals were left with ten men when Sandro was sent off in extra time for a foul on Ferrón, and Diaz took advantage to beat Jaime near the end.

There were belaboured single goal victories for three other first division sides as well, starting with Athletic Bilbao who only won 0-1 at regional third division side Gimnastica Segoviana. Local keeper Pinillos kept out their visitors until well into the second half, and Ernesto Valverde was eventually forced to resort to Yeste and Etxeberría to break the deadlock. And Yeste it was who finally got the goal with an individualist effort to take his side through.

Getafe also struggled to beat Las Palmas 0-1, and only a good performance by Sánchez Broto kept the Madrid based side ahead. Last season the two sides were both playing in the second division A, and there was not much to choose between them until Riki headed home a corner five minutes before the interval. Ex Málaga and Numancia midfielder Riaño came closest to scoring for the Canary Islanders, but he was eventually shown a second yellow card for protesting near the end a few minutes after being substituted.

Sevilla won 0-1 at Algeciras in a match which was played in impossible conditions due to the rain and strong winds which swept the South of Spain. The locals had the weather in their favour in the first half, hitting the woodwork twice and bringing some fine saves out of keeper Notario. But only a minute after the restart Darío Silva set up Aranda for what was to be the only goal of the match, and when San Julián was sent off for a hard tackle on Silva on the hour mark the hosts' challenge ended.

Real Sociedad also had to come back from a goal down at Burgos to win 1-3, substitute Kovacevic saving the day as they scored three times in the last half hour. Bravo put the locals ahead right at the beginning of the second half, but the Serbian striker came on for the injured De Paula, equalising with his first touch of the ball and setting up Xabi Prieto for a second a few minutes later. Mikel Alonso rounded things off near the end on a rapid counter-attack.

In fact only three first division sides made it into the second round without too many problems, including bottom side Numancia, who put their troubles behind them to beat Recreación de la Rioja 0-3. The Soria based side raced into a three goal lead in the first half hour, with Osorio staking his claim for a place in the starting line up after winning the ball off a defender to open the scoring. Pablo Sanz got the second soon afterwards following a corner, and Pineda made it three after Osorio intercepted a bad back pass to set him up. And it could have been four before half time had Pineda's shot not come back off the bar.

Fernando Torres and Salva were on the scoresheet as Atlético Madrid recorded a comfortable 0-3 win at Ourense. César Ferrando put out a full strength line up with the two strikers playing together up front, and within three minutes Torres had put his side ahead after Ibagaza put him through. Ibagaza was there again just before the break to create another goal for Salva, and Nano got the third early in the second half on a quick breakaway. Local manager Milo Abilleira wasn't there to see it though as had been shown a red card in the first half for protesting.

Málaga manager Gregorio Manzano took a totally different approach, putting out a side packed with reserves, but it was enough to beat Don Benito 0-2. Málaga B striker Paco Esteban gave his side the lead midway through the first half, but Arnau had to make important saves from Guirado, Izquierdo and Carrión to keep his side ahead at half time. Juan Rodríguez put the result beyond the reach of the second division B side on the hour mark though with a second goal.

Second division leaders Xerez were beaten 0-1 at home by struggling Ciudad Murcia, "Spiderman" Ubeda getting the only goal of the game shortly before half time. The locals had several chances to save their unbeaten record this season, with Monteagudo, Rios and Lekic all failing to find the target. And the visitors held on for the last thirty minutes with ten men after Dani was sent off for a hard tackle.

Second placed Poli Ejido were also knocked out by a fellow second division side, their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Cádiz at least enabling them to concentrate on the league. Fredi put the home side ahead as early as the first minute, and Manolo Pérez made it two on the half hour mark. Pepe Mel made two changes at the break, but his side lost Romero to a second yellow card only a minute later and Enrique and Sesma wrapped things up after that.

Of the three teams relegated from the first division last season, only Valladolid won through on penalties against Eibar after a scoreless draw. The two managers drafted in their reserve keepers Caballero and Lledó, and they were the stars of the night, the former saving a penalty from Oscar Sánchez in extra time after Fagoaga handled in the area, and the latter stopping two spot kicks as Sergio Kresic's side won the shoot out 2-4.

Celta started off ahead against Tenerife, but ended up losing 3-1 in extra time after having three men sent off. Contreras gave Fernando Vázquez's side the lead early on when he headed home Jandro's free kick, but Keko levelled the scores soon afterwards from the penalty spot after Limones was brought down by the Chilean defender. The Galicians lost Jonathan to a second yellow card just before full time, and after Gavilán put the Canary Islanders ahead in the tenth minute of extra time, Jandro also picked up a second booking for complaining. And a few minutes later Dani brought down Raúl Martín in the area, giving away another penalty which Antonio Hidalgo converted and earning himself a red card into the bargain.

Real Murcia put in another awful performance, being beaten 4-1 by second division B side Lorca, and Manolo Preciado is once again being seriously questioned. The manager put out a team packed with reserve players to try and change their fortune, but they found themselves two down in only a quarter of an hour through Jorge Sánchez and Alexandre. Heugun made it three before the break and finished things off with his second of the night near the end after Munteanu had pulled one back for the visitors.

In fact three other second division B sides made it into the second round draw after beating second division A opposition. Mirandés came from two goals down to beat Salamanca 3-2 in extra time, Solaun hitting the winner with a quarter of an hour to go. Robert seemed to have put the visitors on the road to victory with two strikes in the first half, but Txitxo levelled the scores with two goals after the break, the second with the match already in injury time. An overexcited Mirandés team delegate was shown a red card by the referee during the match.

Lanzarote also beat Racing Ferrol 3-2, a result which could have been even more in favour of the Canary Islanders had Bermejo and Toni not scored for the visitors in the last ten minutes. Nacho Calvillo put the hosts one up midway through the first half, and Gustavo and Maciot added two more in quick succession a quarter of an hour from the end.

Cultural Leonesa also qualified after beating Alavés on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Both goals came in the second half, with Thiaw putting the visitors ahead against the run of play on a counter-attack, and the León based side equalising when Willy set up Roberto Fresnedoso eight minutes from the end. Paulinho struck home the final spot kick to give his side a 4-3 win in the shoot out.

Only Pontevedra won over their lower division opponents, and they had to wait for extra time before beating Vecindario 2-3. Javi Rodríguez put the Galicians ahead from the penalty spot in the sixth minute after he had been brought down by Dorta, but the Canary Islanders equalised through Dani García in the last minute to take the match into the prologue. But goals from Salcedo and Vázquez took the visitors through, even though Trigo got one back in the last minute.

There was one other all second division A clash, Elche fighting back with two goals in a minute late on to beat Sporting Gijón 1-2. Ismael had put the Asturians ahead on the hour mark, but goals from Rubén and substitute Moisés took Yosu Uribe's side through to the second round.

Córdoba should have played Almería but their game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch on a rainy night throughout Spain, and the fixture between Conquense and Recreativo was also postponed for the same reason. Both matches will take place in the first week of November. (27.10.04)

Match played on 28th October

Villarreal were the fifth side from the first division to be eliminated by a lower division Catalan team after they lost 2-1 at Girona on Thursday. Pellegrini's side actually took the lead five minutes in to the second half through Peña, but Caballero levelled from the penalty spot and Eloy gave the second division B side the victory when he headed past López Vallejo in the last minute.

The draw for the second round takes place at midday on 2nd November, with ties once again regionalized and the remaining 15 first division teams seeded to play away. Matches are scheduled to take place the following week, on or around 10th November. (28.10.04)

Matches played on 3rd and 4th November

The two matches which were postponed from last Wednesday due to waterlogged pitches are being played this week. Córdoba won through to a second round tie with Numancia after beating Almería 4-3 on penalties. The match itself finished without goals, the first shot on target not coming until the stroke of half time when the visitors hit the post through Lozano, and the next one being 45 minutes later when local keeper Jauregui saved from Juanma. Córdoba were a man short for most of the second half after Pablo Sierra picked up a second booking for diving, but they won through after Lambea put the last spot kick over the bar. (03.11.04)

Recreativo also qualified for a second round tie with Albacete after beating Conquense 0-2 in extra time. Despite the heavy rain it was an intense match, with Uche and Calle going closest to scoring for the visitors either side of half time, but Urraca and Lalo also had their chances for the second division B side. Manu Del Moral put the Huelva based side ahead though in the first half of extra time, and Moreno added a second near the end from the penalty spot after he himself was brought down. (04.11.04)