Copa del Rey
Fifth round, second leg
Villarreal came in to their second leg against second division Celta with firm hopes of a semi-final place, Valverde's side defending a 1-1 away draw and facing a more than likely quarter final against Recreativo. However in the end they were dumped out of the competition after losing 0-1 in the last minute. The locals appeared to be going through on the away goal rule until the first minute of injury time, when Botelho was brought down as he entered the area. And Trashorras converted the resulting penalty to provide the first upset of the round. (12.01.10)
Defending champions Barcelona are out of the competition after losing on the away goal rule to Sevilla! A 0-1 win in the second leg was not enough to overturn the 1-2 result from the Nou Camp, and Barça miss out on a title for the first time since Guardiola took over 18 months ago. The locals were unlucky not to go ahead when Negredo had a goal ruled for a supposed foul on Pinto after the keeper went walk-about, but after the break they were pegged back as the Catalans came looking for the two goals they needed. Xavi did get one of them twenty minutes after the restart with an angled shot past Palop, but otherwise the keeper pulled off a string of saves from Ibrahimovic, Messi and Henry, and when he was beaten by Mesi later on he saw the shot bounce away off the post.
Sevilla will meet Deportivo in the quarter finals after the Galicians drew 2-2 with Valencia. Unai Emery's side quickly turned the tie around, Zigic heading in two crosses from Miguel in the first half hour to cancel out Depor's 1-2 lead from the first leg. But four minutes after the restart Filipe picked up a loose ball in the area to run on and beat Moyà, and a few minutes later the Brazilian full-back (playing in a more attacking role) cut in from the left wing to drill in a cross which Juan Rodríguez deflected past the keeper.
Getafe are looking for another good cup run after they thrashed Málaga 5-1. A goal down from the first leg, they were soon ahead after Soldado drilled an angled shot past Santamaría and then Rafa headed in a Dani Parejo free kick. Soldado made it three soon after the restart after Manu's shot was blocked, and Pedro León drove home the fourth a few minutes later after Soldado set him up. Sixteen year old Juanmi got one back, but Parejo completed the "manita" after combining with another youngster, Sardinero.
Osasuna are also in to the last eight after beating Hércules 1-0, a goal from Masoud enough to see them through on the away goal rule. The Iranian midfielder dribbled his way through a crowded goalmouth to beat Unai Alba from a wide angle three minutes after the restart, much to the delight of a crowd which had previously whistled their side off at the break. The visitors had been the better team before the interval, and they could have qualified had Tote and Delibasic not failed to convert chances later on.
Osasuna will play Racing Santander, who went through with more pain than glory after drawing 0-0 with Alcorcón. The second division B side needed two goals after the 2-3 defeat in the first leg, but they felt themselves unlucky not to get one of them in the eleventh minute when Cascón turned Béjar's cross in to the net only for González Vázquez to rule it out for a non existent offside. And keeper Mario had some work to do before the referee finally called it a day. (13.01.10)
Atlético Madrid came back from their three goal first leg defeat to beat second division Recreativo 5-1 and qualify for the quarter finals. It was a thrilling match, with an Atlético side galvanized by Quique Sánchez Flores's threats of big changes a few days ago. By half time they had cancelled out Recre's first leg lead, Simao and then Agüero turning in crosses from Diego Forlán, and Ujfalusi heading a Simao corner in off the bar just before the interval. Forlán hit the bar and Agüero went close a couple of times before Troest deflected Agüero's shot in to his own net for the fourth. But the Andalusians didn't give up, and De Gea had to make a couple of important saves before Carmona stole the ball off Paulo Assunçao to score an away goal which gave his side the edge in the tie. Assunçao was sent off for a second bookable offence two minutes later, but Simao fired a free kick past Bernardo with seven minutes to go to take his team through to meet Celta in the next round.
Mallorca also had a bit of a scare before they went through 3-1 against Rayo Vallecano. The second division side threatened the Islanders' 100% home record when Piti ran on to Pachón's through ball to open the scoring on the stroke of half time. But Víctor scored twice in the first quarter of an hour of the second half to level the tie, the first a header after Pezzolano headed on a corner, and the second after beating Dani on the far post. Everything looked set for extra time until the second minute of injury time, when Salva could only clear from Aduríz into the path of Mario Suárez, who turned the ball past the keeper from close up. Manzano's side will now face Getafe in next week's quarter final. (14.01.10)
