Copa del Rey: Real Madrid made to struggle by Cacereno on night of upsets

by IANS |

Madrid, Jan 4 (IANS) Fourth-tier Cacereno pushed Real Madrid all the way in their third-round Copa del Rey tie.

It needed a moment of magic from Madrid's Brazilian forward Rodrygo to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win on Tuesday night in a match that was much more complicated than most would have expected.

The first half was an even affair with Cacereno by no means inferior to their illustrious rivals, and little changed after the break as the home side continued to dig deep.

Rodrygo's individual goal decided the game, but the home side are out of the tournament with their pride intact on a night of surprises in Spain's knockout competition, reports Xinhua.

Ceuta, who are bottom of the third-tier RFEF I, beat La Liga's bottom side Elche 1-0 thanks to Rodri's 44th-minute penalty. To make matters worse for Elche, Ezequiel Ponce was sent off 15 minutes into the second half in a disastrous result for a side that has only four points in La Liga.

Second division Sporting Gijon beat top-flight Rayo Vallecano 2-0 with two second-half goals from Serbian striker Uros Milovanovic, while fellow second division outfit Levante won a thriller 3-2 against Getafe.

Valencia had no such problems as they cruised past third-tier La Nucia with goals from Justin Kluivert, Ilaix Moriba and Hugo Duro, while Villarreal recovered from a goal down to thrash second division Cartagena 5-1, with Alex Baena, Arnaut Danjuma, Jose Luis Morales, Samuel Chukwueze and Etienne Capoue all scoring second-half goals.

Latest News
Telangana to issue new ration cards to eligible from Jan 26 Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 03:26 PM
Telangana government issues guidelines for Rythu Bharosa Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 03:24 PM
Aus Open: Ruud, Nishikori survive five-set thrillers in opening round Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 03:22 PM
Liton, Shakib miss out as Bangladesh announce Champions Trophy squad Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 02:17 PM
BJP eyes increased presence in Telangana Legislative Council Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:23 PM
Shami returns as India name 15-member squad for T20I series vs England Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:22 PM
J&K shivers as cold wave intensifies, dry weather forecast for next 24 hours Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:19 PM
170 cholera cases recorded in Angola with 15 deaths170 cholera cases recorded in Angola with 15 deaths Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:16 PM
CII moots 10-point agenda for ease of doing business reforms Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:07 PM
Market cap of top 50 APAC firms hits record $8.1 trillion in 2024, India third Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:55 AM
The Third Eye: Terrorism on the US soil Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:37 AM
New combination drug offers treatment against intestinal worms: Lancet Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:33 AM
Astro Zindagi: Weekly Horoscope Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:27 AM
Israeli delegation to travel to Qatar for hostage deal with Hamas Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:24 AM
Algeria denies escalation intention amid diplomatic row with France Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 11:23 AM