Copa del Rey Recap: Two Upsets as La Liga Teams Push to the Edge

The Copa del Rey Second Round featured notable upsets as Catalan clubs Espanyol and Girona were eliminated. They weren't the only ones to face tough challenges.

Espanyol’s manager, Manolo Gonzalez, termed their 1-0 loss to Atletico Baleares a ‘giant cock-up,’ as one of the form teams in La Liga faced a surprising exit. Girona also faced defeat, losing 2-1 to Oursense in Galicia. After scoring in the first minute, they endured over thirty minutes before conceding the winning goal against Michel Sanchez’s struggling squad.

Ourense eliminate Girona. Image via EFE

Valencia, Celta Vigo and Villarreal escape disaster

Villarreal needed penalties (5-3) to overcome Antoniano in the fourth tier. Valencia pulled off an incredible comeback against Cartagena, saving a penalty with two minutes remaining in extra time. After being reduced to ten men due to Baptiste Santamaria’s red card, Jesus Vazquez netted the winner in the 120th minute.

Celta Vigo also faced intense pressure against Sant Andreu. After a 1-1 draw, the game went to penalties, with Sant Andreu missing after 13 successful attempts. Celta fell to ten men in the 113th minute as Carlos Dominguez was sent off, while Getafe required extra time to defeat Navalcarnero.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Athletic Club, being participants in the Spanish Supercup, received a bye for the first two rounds and will enter next week’s draw for the Round of 32.

Leganes elimination costs Paco Lopez his job

Albacete recorded a 2-1 away victory over Leganes, marking Paco Lopez’s last game as head coach. Leganes subsequently dismissed him shortly after, with the club sitting 18th in Segunda, tied on points with Andorra in the relegation zone following a recent relegation from La Liga.

Full Copa del Rey Second Round Results

Ebro 3-5 Osasuna

Portugalete 0-3 Alaves

Numancia 2-3 RCD Mallorca

Racing Ferrol 0-2 Huesca

Guadalajara 1-0 AD Ceuta

Navalcarnero 2-3 Getafe (AET)

Eldense 2-1 Almeria

Cultural Leonesa 4-2 Andorra

Talavera 2-1 Malaga

Real Murcia 3-2 Cadiz

Mirandes 0-2 Sporting Gijon

Quintanar del Rey 1-2 Elche

Torrent 1-4 Real Betis

Reus 0-2 Real Sociedad

Cieza 0-1 Levante

Ourense 2-1 Girona

Antoniano 1-1 Villarreal (Villarreal win 5-3 on penalties)

Pontevedra 0-3 Eibar

Real Avila 1-2 Rayo Vallecano (AET)

Leganes 1-2 Albacete

Atletico Baleares 1-0 Espanyol

Sabadell 0-2 Deportivo La Coruna

Ponferradina 1-2 Racing Santander

Cartagena 1-2 Valencia (AET)

Extremadura 1-2 Sevilla 

Sant Andreu 1-1 Celta Vigo (Celta win 7-6 on penalties)

Real Zaragoza 0-1 Burgos 

Tenerife 0-1 Granada