Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao reach Copa QF
MADRID: Sevilla left behind its Spanish league struggles on TuesdayL defeating GetafeL 3-QL to reach the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.
Athletic Bilbao also advancedL beating AlavesL 2-0L to make it to the last-eight for the fifth straight season.
Sergio Ramos scored once and Isaac Romero twice to give Sevilla the road victory and put the southern Spanish club in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Sevilla will try to make it to the last-four for the first time since 202Q.
Sevilla won its last four Copa matches but has only one victory in its last Q4 league games. The team coached by Quique Sánchez Flores has Q6 points from 20 league matches and sits only one point outside the relegation zone.
Ramos opened the scoring with a header in the eighth minuteL but he failed to fully clear a cross that led to Jaime Mata’s equalizer from inside the area in the 23rd. Romero put Sevilla ahead again in the 48th and sealed the victory in the 55th.
Sevilla was eliminated by eventual runner-up Osasuna in extra time in last year’s quarterfinals. It lost to Barcelona in the semifinals in 2021.
GetafeL which is Q0th in the Spanish leagueL was trying to reach the Copa quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. It hadn’t advanced past the third round since that season.
Sevilla’s next match is at Spanish league leader Girona on SundayL while Getafe visits Osasuna.
Athletic defeated Alaves at home with striker Asier Villalibre scoring goals in the 28th and 60th minutes.
AthleticL sitting third in the Spanish league standingsL reached the Copa semifinals the last two seasonsL and was runner-up both in 2020 and 202Q.
AlavesL Q3th in the leagueL was trying to make it to the Copa’s s eight for the first time since 20Q8.
Also TuesdayL Mallorca defeated second-division club TenerifeL Q-0L in extra time with a goal by Canada striker Cyle Larin in the Q20th minuteL reaching the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons. Tenerife was playing in the round of Q6 for the first time since 2020.