Madrid: The quarter-finals of the Spanish King's Cup produced two contrasting first-leg clashes, an epic 3-2 win for Valencia over Sevilla, followed by a drab goalless draw between crosstown rivals Espanyol and Barcelona.
Holders Valencia on Wednesday came from 2-1 down to score a dramatic win, thanks to late goals from Ruben Baraja and Juan Mata.
Valencia had taken a sixth-minute lead through David Villa, taking advantage of a schoolboy mistake from Adriano.
But 10 minutes later Villa limped off with a pulled muscle, and Valencia lost their rhythm.
Sevilla took control in the second half, and Luis Fabiano made it 1-1 with his head in the 53rd minute on a clever centre from Diego Capel.
Adriano made it 2-2 in the 68th minute, despite being around three metres offside.
Indignant Valencia came forward toward the end, determined to at least force a draw. Five minutes from time the ageless Ruben Baraja made it 2-2 with a low drive. Just two minutes, later Mata hit the winner - with the help of a wicked deflection.
"We showed real character," said Baraja, "to come back so strongly at the end".
The former Spain midfielder added that "their second goal was ridiculous, ... so obviously offside."
Later Wednesday, a reserve-packed Barcelona side were held to a dull 0-0 draw by troubled Espanyol.
It was a chilly night in the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, and neither side created clear chances, despite Xavi and Lionel Messi coming off the Barca bench toward the end.
It was a solid debut on the Espanyol bench for Mauricio Pochettino, who took over on Tuesday from Mane.
The other quarter-final first legs will be played on Thursday, with Betis taking on Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao facing Sporting Gijon.
Comments
0 comment