Real Madrid drew 0-0 with Real Betis in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, only hours after David Beckham announced he would leave the club at the end of the season.
Beckham, who will join the Los Angeles Galaxy on a five-year deal in Major League Soccer, was left out of Madrid's squad for the first-leg, fifth-round match at Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Stadium in Seville and remained in the Spanish capital.
advantage madrid
The draw gave Madrid a slight advantage when the teams bid for a quarter-final place in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium next week.
Madrid coach Fabio Capello, who also omitted Ronaldo, handed a debut to teenage Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, a recent signing from River Plate.
Another newcomer, former Boca Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago, was retained for his second game.
The visitors were hit by the loss of left back Roberto Carlos in the 10th minute with what appeared to be a thigh muscle injury, leading to the introduction of Raul Bravo.
new coach
Betis, struggling in the league and playing its second game under new coach Luis Fernandez, spurned the only clear chance of a ragged first half when Jorge Wagner headed Xisco Munoz's cross over the bar in the 35th minute.
The untidy play continued into the second half although Madrid's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy nearly scored in the 61st with a gentle, angled shot which Betis goalkeeper Pedro Contreras managed to deflect with his left leg.
Gago fired over the bar in the 74th, and substitute Raul Gonzalez headed narrowly wide five minutes later as Madrid's attacking play improved in the final stages.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
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