MADRID — In an exciting round of Copa del Rey matches on Thursday, prominent Spanish clubs Atlético 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.
Atlético Madrid initially fell behind due to a goal from Álvaro 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. Clément Lenglet leveled the score in the 83rd minute. Following a red card given to Cacereno’s Jaime Sancho shortly after, Atlético capitalized with two goals during stoppage time; an own goal by Adri Pérez off Rodrigo De Paul’s shot and a final strike from Julián 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 Spain’s 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 García just three minutes later. Carlos Redruello’s 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 Getafe’s 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 Méndez scored to secure Sociedad’s 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 García to convert a penalty, drawing the teams level again. Nevertheless, Minera’s goalkeeper Fran Martínez 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 Álvarez, 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 Piqué. Notably, Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Mallorca received byes to the third round set for January.
