Fourth round, first leg

First division sides joined the Spanish cup competition at the fourth round stage, with two of the sixteen first leg matches being brought forward to Tuesday. Interest in the competition is lower than ever though after yet another change in the format, and only 5,000 turned up at Atlético Madrid (less than 10% of the usual crowd) to see their side lose 0-1 to Levante. Nino got the only goal five minutes from the end after Leo Franco had kept out efforts from Riga and Kapo.

There were even less spectators at the match between Alavés and Celta, despite the presence of the UEFA cup side. Both managers put out much changed line ups though, and the tie ended without goals. Visiting keeper Esteban was the star of the night as the locals treid their best, particularly after the Galicians were left with ten men after Angel picked up a second booking with half an hour to go. (24.10.06)

Fourteen more matches on Wednesday, with the six surviving regional division clubs drawing the jackpot after being seeded to face six of the sides playing in Europe this year, with the first leg at home. Écija put up temporary stands for the visit of Real Madrid, and a large part of the Andalusian town turned up to see their side draw 1-1 (although even there the ground was not full). Cassano put Capello's team ahead midway through the second half after Diarra turned a Beckham cross against the post, but second choice keeper Diego López had some work to do before Nolito got his moment of glory with a late equaliser.

Barcelona had a short trip to visit neighbouring Badalona, and they too had a couple of scares, particularly in the first half when Jorquera had to save from Monty and Prats amongst others. Gudjohnssen scored twice in the second half though, the first after Saviola set him up and the second after the local keeper saved from Ezquerro, and the hosts got one back in injury time with a Tarradellas penalty after Oleguer fouled Blanco.

Valencia also won 1-2 against Portuense, the team from Joaquín's home town of El Puerto de Santa Maria, although their flamboyant new signing only played the last twenty minutes on their artificial pitch as a crowd pleaser. His replacement Angulo was the man who did the damage with a goal in each half, but only after Ocaña had given the locals the lead in the third minute.

Osasuna meanwhile had a tricky visit to the local town of Tafalla, where they failed to score for the sixth game in a row, drawing 0-0 with the resident third division side Peña Sport. Cuco Ziganda put out a line up packed with second choice players.

Rayo Vallecano have been languishing down in the second division B for a couple of seasons now, but they fancied their chances against reigning champions Espanyol. And they could have won as well had it not been for a controversial injury time penalty which Luis García converted at the second attempt (referee Delgado Ferreira ordered a retake after Javi Muñoz saved the first) to make it 1-1. Diego Torres had put the Madrid based team ahead, also from the penalty spot, shortly before half time. Delgado needed a police escort to leave the field at the end.

A few miles down the road third division side Gimnastica Segoviana were cashing in with a tie against Sevilla, although they have little chance of advancing any further after a Kepa first half strike gave the visitors a 0-1 win. The locals played half the match with ten men after defender Ramsés was sent off, but even so they could have equalised when Jairo hit the bar late on.

The seedings paired up all the lower division sides with first division opposition, and with ties played over two legs, very few are actually expected to make it to the last sixteen. Málaga though will almost certainly be there after thrashing struggling Real Sociedad 4-1. Díaz de Cerio actually gave the Basque side the lead, but in the five minutes leading up to the break Salva equalised and López Rekarte and Novo were both sent off for second bookable offences, leaving them with nine men. Ernesto, Valcarce and Perico wrapped things up after the restart.

Valladolid are also in with a good chance of qualifying after beating Nàstic 1-0, Alvaro scoring with a direct free kick midway through the second half. 17 year old youth international keeper Sergio Asenjo made his debut for the locals, and put in a solid performance to keep a clean sheet against the first division side.

Positive results for the other three top flight sides who were playing second division A opposition, with last season's runners up Zaragoza drawing 1-1 at Hércules. Juanlu had given the Alicante based side an early lead after a team passing move, but a D'Alessandro free kick later on was enough to square the tie. The locals had been left a man short just before the equaliser after Redondo picked up a second booking.

Bernd Schuster was given an ovation by the Xerez fans as he returned to the club he managed a couple of seasons ago, but his new side Getafe ran out 0-2 winners with two goals in the last fifteen minutes. Redondo got the first from the penalty spot after a foul by keeper Chema, and Pachón got the second a couple of minutes later after his first shot came back off the post.

Villarreal also won 0-2 against regional neighbours Castellón, the first time that the two sides have met in an official competition in twelve years. Nihat returned to Pellegrini's starting line up after a long injury, and he opened the scoring in the twelfth minute. And the Turkish forward combined with Marcos Senna and Diego Forlán for the Uruguayan striker to make it two with less than half an hour on the clock.

There were another three all first division ties on Wednesday, including local rivals Recreativo and Betis, who played out a dull 0-0 draw. The Huelva based side had beaten their neighbours in the league a couple of weeks ago, but both coaches put out sides packed with reserves, and only a couple of efforts from Capi gave the fans any cheer on a wet and windy night.

Honours were shared as well at the San Mamés stadium as Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca drew 1-1. Gabilondo put the Basque side in front in the twelfth minute, lobbing Moyà after running on from his own half, and the visiting keeper stopped efforts from Yeste and Exteberría before the break. Maxi López equalised though soon after the restart, heading Kome's cross on past Lafuente, and both sides had chances after that.

Deportivo took a big step towards reaching the next round, beating Racing Santander 1-0. With most of the star players rested it was a boring game, except for the debut of 18 year old Adrián López for the home side. The youngster was a constant menace, and won his side a penalty after the restart which Estoyanoff converted to win the match. (25.10.06)