Copa del Rey

Semi finals, first leg

Sevilla 2 - Athletic Bilbao 1

Sevilla: Palop; Mosquera, Squillaci, Escudé, Fernando Navarro; Romaric, Duscher; Jesús Navas, Renato (Acosta 46'), Adriano (Diego Capel 59'); Kanouté. 4-2-3-1.
Athletic: Gorka Iraizoz; Iraola, Aitor Ocio, Amorebieta (Ustaritz 90'), Koikili; David López, Orbaiz, Javi Martínez, Yeste (Balenziaga 70'); Ion Vélez (Toquero 62'), Llorente. 4-4-2.

Goals:
0-1. 42. Llorente. Angled header past Palop on near post from David López corner.
1-1. 60. Duscher. Ran in to blast shot in to roof of net after ball came back off bar.
2-1. 92. Acosta. Forced ball past Iraizoz after Duscher shot deflected in to his path.

An injury time strike from Acosta gave Sevilla a narrow 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their cup semi-final. The game was delayed by fifteen minutes due to a heavy rainstorm, and for a while the players struggled on a waterlogged pitch. Midway through the first half Ion Vélez almost caught out Palop with a shot from the half way line, and a few minutes later Romaric headed against the bar at the other end. Llorente brought a good save out of the local keeper, and a minute later the striker headed the visitors in to the lead from a David López corner.

Ion Vélez just failed to turn in Iraola's cross soon after the restart, but Duscher finished off a goal-mouth scramble to equalise on the hour mark. With a few minutes to go Kanouté fired a penalty kick against the post after Javi Martínez had held back the striker in the area, Iraizoz saving his follow up shot. It seemed that a draw was on the cards though until Acosta latched on to a loose ball to give his side a narrow edge going in to next month's second leg.

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Barcelona 2 - Mallorca 0

Barcelona: Pinto; Daniel Alves, Márquez, Piqué, Sylvinho; Gudjohnsen (Sergio Busquets 55'), Touré Yaya, Iniesta; Hleb, Bojan (Eto'o 86'), Henry (Messi 55'). 4-3-3.
Mallorca: Lux; Scaloni, Josemi, Nunes, Ayoze; Castro (Aduríz 77'), Mario Suárez, Cléber Santana, Corrales (Martí 57'); Trejo, Webó (Jurado 70'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
1-0. 34. Henry. Got on end of Bojan's cross to guide header back past Lux.
2-0. 73. Márquez. Lifted free kick over defensive wall in to near corner of net.

Barcelona are close to a place in the Spanish cup final after a 2-0 victory over Mallorca in their first leg tie. Bojan tested Lux a couple of times early on, and Iniesta went close after Henry put him through. And with ten minutes to go to the break Henry headed in Bojan's cross to give his side the lead. Guardiola brought on

Messi after the restart, and he brought two good saves out of Lux soon after making his appearance. But it was Márquez who added the second, beating the keeper with a well struck free kick to give his side a clear advantage for the return match in a month's time. It could have been a different story though had referee Muñiz Fernández awarded a penalty to Trejo when Márquez brought him down in the last minute.