RCD Espanyol on Tuesday needed a second-half goal against second-division club Cadiz to avoid becoming the first top-tier team to be eliminated in the Copa del Rey.
Hernan Perez scored the winner with a shot from inside the area in the 76th minute, giving Espanyol a 1-0 victory and a spot in the competition’s round of 16.
The hosts advanced on away goals following a 2-1 first-leg loss in Cadiz last month.
Cadiz came close to pulling off an upset when Karim Azamoum scored in stoppage-time at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Cadiz upset first-division club Real Betis Balompie at this stage last season before being eliminated by Sevilla in the following round.
Perez entered the match three minutes before scoring the winning goal for Espanyol, who were coming off three straight losses in La Liga. The Catalan club made it to the quarter-finals last season, when they lost to eventual champions Barcelona.
With a winner by Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, Valencia defeated third-division club Ebro 1-0 to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
Batshuayi scored with a close-range header after a well-placed cross by Toni Lato in the 59th minute at Mestalla Stadium.
It was the third goal for Batshuayi since joining Valencia on a loan from Chelsea in the summer.
Valencia were coming off losses to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga. They had won three straight before that.
In a match between first-division clubs, CD Leganes defeated Rayo Vallecano de Madrid 1-0 to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Leganes ’keeper Andriy Lunin, playing on a loan from Real Madrid, saved a first-half penalty-kick taken by Bebe with the hosts already down a goal.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper made several other key saves during the rest of the match to keep his team ahead in Madrid.
It was the third straight win for Leganes, who remain unbeaten in six consecutive matches in all competitions.
Rayo Vallecano had ended an 11-match winless streak with a victory over Sociedad Deportiva Eibar in La Liga last weekend.
Meanwhile, Angel Rodriguez scored a hat-trick as Getafe trounced second-tier club Cordoba 5-1 to reached the next round 7-2 on aggregate.
Robert Ibanez and Francisco Portillo also found the net for Getafe, who were coming off a 3-0 rout of Espanyol in La Liga.
Aythami Artiles scored Cordoba’s goal midway through the second half, with his team down 3-0.
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
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
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