Valencia and Rayo Vallecano to semifinals
This Monday the Copa del Rey quarterfinal match between Valencia and Cádiz took place.
The chosen scenario was Mestalla, in which a memorable duel was held where the locals dominated the first half, but in the second, Cádiz reversed the situation in their favor and almost won the tie.
In the first half, at minute 24, Valencia opened the scoring through Guedes. The play was quite controversial because Hugo Duro would receive a long pass and this, when jumping, would knock down the defender Juan Cala, committing an infraction that the referee did not point out.
Duro would control and pass between the lines, so that Guedes, avoiding the offside position, would be left alone with goalkeeper Gil and the striker would define with power, down, but the goalkeeper, although he touched it, could not avoid the 1-0. This would end the first part.
The story would change in the second half, when the visitors took the initiative in the attack. The tie would come after Lucas Pérez took a corner and Comert clearly grabbed Cala. The referee did not whistle at first, but after reviewing the VAR, he would signal the maximum penalty.
Lucas Pérez himself, who made his debut as a cadista, would tie the match after charging from eleven steps. From that moment on, the visitors cornered Valencia and in their own stadium.
The entry of Álvaro Negredo and Álex Fernández would help increase the attack, but Valencia would also make adjustments to get ahead on the scoreboard.
At 79', after a corner, Luis Hernández grazed a ball that fell to Hugo Duro and he headed it, sending it into the back of the net. 2-1 definitive. Valencia qualifies for the semifinal.
Historic feat of Rayo Vallecano
The other game of the quarterfinals would take place at the Vallecas Stadium, where the locals managed to defeat a rival that could not reverse the situation after the penalty goal.
The play of the goal would come when Óscar Trejo passed it to Álvaro García, who tried to dribble Russo in the area, but the Argentine committed an infraction. The referee, without hesitation, awarded a penalty and Óscar Trejo himself scored the only goal of the match at 44'.
The visitors were unable to come back from the match, although the chances arose, above all, in the first half, when Ángel, after a pass from Kang-In Lee, scored a goal that was disallowed for being in an offside position.
It should be noted that the first time that Rayo Vallecano managed to qualify for the semis was in 1982, although at that time it was eliminated by Sporting de Gijón. This is the second time, in all history, that he has achieved it.
This Tuesday the other quarterfinal matches will take place, Real Sociedad vs. Betis and Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid. The first leg of the semifinals will take place on February 9, while the second leg will be decided on March 2. The grand final will be on April 23 at the La Cartuja Olympic Stadium, Seville.