Copa del Rey, semi final first leg

A last minute goal from Savio gave Zaragoza a 1-1 draw against second division Alavés. The home side had taken the lead with a quarter of an hour on the clock when Vucko headed past Lainez after Iván Alonso knocked on a cross from his namesake Edu Alonso, and Iván came close to making it two later in the first half. But referee Ramírez Domínguez controversially sent off Turiel a quarter of an hour from the end for a rigorous second booking having already let Alvaro and Movilla off possible red cards, and with the game coming to an end David Villa found Savio for him to square the match. Víctor Muñoz's side are now favourites to go through, and they must be hoping to meet Real Madrid in the final, thereby virtually assuring themselves of a place in the UEFA cup next season. (05.02.04)

Real Madrid moved closer to another cup final after beating Sevilla 2-0 in the first leg of their semi final. The visitors held their own in a lively first half, and either side could have scored before the break. But Solari picked up a pass from Portillo ten minutes in to the second half and surprised Esteban with a shot from a wide angle, and Raúl added a second a quarter of an hour from the end after Guti played on Solari's cross. Guti brought a good save out of Esteban and Juanfran just failed to get on a Roberto Carlos cross as Madrid pushed for a third, but the Andalucians could also have got the away goal they needed if Pablo Alfaro's header had not gone wide in the last minute. The second leg takes place in Sevilla next Wednesday. (04.02.04)