A youthful Atletico Madrid side came back from a goal down to beat third-tier Reus Deportiu 2-1 on Tuesday to edge toward the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.
Lucas Hernandez’s defensive error allowed Fran to fire the underdogs into a shock lead on the half-hour mark.
However, 10-time winners Atletico responded immediately through Luciano Vietto’s headed equalizer before Saul Niguez flicked home the winner 27 minutes from time.
Photo: AFP
The two sides meet again in the second leg on Dec. 17.
“The tie is still tight and it is not a comfortable result,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.
“I value the ability to come back from 1-0 down. Once we start making better decisions in the box, it will lift the level of the team a lot,” he added.
Simeone made seven changes to the side that beat RCD Espanyol on Saturday to remain second in La Liga.
That lack of continuity showed early on against a Reus side that had only been beaten once previously this season on their way to leading their regional division in the third tier.
Vietto should have opened the scoring when he fired straight at Edgar Badia with a clear sight of goal after seven minutes.
However, the opener arrived at the other end as Hernandez slipped under pressure from Fran and the playmaker confidently slotted past Miguel Angel Moya.
Vietto made amends for his earlier miss with a fine header into the bottom corner to level the score six minutes later.
Atletico had far more control after the break, but needed a set-piece to break Reus down as Saul’s clever flicked header from Koke’s corner looped into the far corner.
In the night’s other tie, second division CD Leganes shocked Granada 2-1.
Holders Barcelona were to host Villanovense in the second leg of their fourth-round tie at the Camp Nou last night after a 0-0 draw in the first leg five weeks ago.
Real Madrid were to open their Copa del Rey campaign last night away to Cadiz.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
RSS