MADRID โ In an exciting round of Copa del Rey matches on Thursday, prominent Spanish clubs Atlรฉtico Madrid, Getafe, and Osasuna managed to secure their places in the next stage despite facing challenges from lower league teams. However, Deportivo Alaves faced an upset, exiting the tournament against the fourth-tier team Deportiva Minera.
Atlรฉtico Madrid initially fell behind due to a goal from รlvaro Merencio of Cacereno in the 30th minute, putting them at risk of elimination. The tide turned in the second half when substitutes made a significant impact, leading to a 3-1 comeback win. Clรฉment Lenglet leveled the score in the 83rd minute. Following a red card given to Cacerenoโs Jaime Sancho shortly after, Atlรฉtico capitalized with two goals during stoppage time; an own goal by Adri Pรฉrez off Rodrigo De Paulโs shot and a final strike from Juliรกn Alvarez secured their victory. Coach Diego Simeone was ejected from the match in the last minute due to his protests.
In another nail-biting encounter, Osasuna triumphed 3-2 against Ceuta, a third-tier club located in Spainโs North African territory. Facing a 2-0 deficit after 69 minutes of play, Osasuna turned the game around with three late goals. Ante Budimir found the net in the 83rd minute, followed by a goal from Raul Garcรญa just three minutes later. Carlos Redruelloโs unfortunate own goal in stoppage time sealed the late comeback for Osasuna.
Getafe faced a challenging match against Orihuela, another fourth-tier team, which ended in a goalless draw. However, they were able to advance to the next round by winning 3-0 in the penalty shootout, with Getafeโs goalkeeper Jiri Letacek successfully saving all three attempts made by their opponents.
Real Sociedad also needed extra time to defeat Conquense, a fourth-tier side, by a score of 1-0. Despite struggling without a win in their previous five games, Conquense held out until the second minute of extra time when Brais Mรฉndez scored to secure Sociedadโs progression.
The standout casualty of the evening was Deportivo Alaves, who exited after a penalty shootout loss against Minera, with the match concluding 2-2 after extra time. Minera took an early lead in the 33rd minute, but Alaves equalized in the 60th minute to push the game into extra time. After Minera regained the lead through Mali midfielder Sandji Baradji in the 105th minute, a sending-off of David Morante allowed Kike Garcรญa to convert a penalty, drawing the teams level again. Nevertheless, Mineraโs goalkeeper Fran Martรญnez emerged as the hero, saving two penalties and helping his team win 4-2 in the shootout.
Sevilla enjoyed a smoother advance to the next stage, defeating Olot, a fourth-tier team, with a score of 3-1, with goals contributed by Gonzalo Montiel, Juanlu Sanchez, and Kelechi Iheanacho. Meanwhile, second-tier Burgos was eliminated by Marbella with a last-minute goal from Jorge รlvarez, ensuring a 1-0 victory for the lower division side.
Castellon, also from the second division, faced defeat from third-tier Ponferradina, losing 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. In other matches, Racing de Ferrol clinched a late 2-1 victory over Barakaldo, while Cartagena secured a 1-0 win against Andorra, a team owned by former Barcelona player Gerard Piquรฉ. Notably, Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Mallorca received byes to the third round set for January.