Osasuna defeats Betis and Valencia and Athletic Club reach the quarterfinals

The champion yields on penalties against faith 'rojilla'

MADRID, 19 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Betis said goodbye to the title defense in the Copa del Rey after being eliminated on penalties by Osasuna (2-2, 2-4), while Valencia and Athletic Club sealed their tickets to the quarterfinals on Wednesday with the wins against Sporting de Gijón (0-4) and Espanyol (1-0).

The cup day came with a surprise at the Benito Villmarín, where David García forced extra time in the 91st minute. Betis went ahead again in that extra time, but Osasuna cooled the green and white stands for the penultimate time with Rubén García's 2-2.

Manuel Pellegrini's men missed the ghosts of Arabia and the Super Cup semifinal lost in the shootout against Barça. The final blow to the Betica illusion was Guido's slip when going to take his penalty and a ruling that, together with Canales, gave the ticket to an Osasuna capable of anything.

Jagoba Arrasate's men tried to press from the beginning but Betis managed to overcome the pressure well with some arrivals and even a goal from Luiz Henrique that did not go up on the scoreboard because the ball had gone over the baseline. Already in the second half, Carvalho found the kick to make it 1-0 and Betis grew on the back of their versatile player. Kike Barja pulled the visitors.

With Aimar Oroz and Chimy Ávila on the pitch, Osasuna did not give up the attack and forced overtime on the buzzer. I don't know how the rojillo team gave up even with the 2-1 of a Sabaly that later failed at 2-2. Betis gave away both goals and found themselves in another fateful round that Osasuna took advantage of to continue in the fray.

For their part, Valencia did not fail either in their appointment with the round of 16 in El Molinón after an offensive display by Gennaro Gattuso's men, who recovered from their poor run of results between LaLiga, two consecutive defeats, and the Super Cup, eliminated for Real Madrid on penalties, thanks to double goals from Cavani, Kluivert and Samuel Lino.

The 'che' team was a roller for the team led by Miguel Ángel Ramírez, who did not make the best debut on the Sportinguista bench. The 'Matador' opened the can after ten minutes after making a good rebound in the area and made it 0-3 at the end of the first half after masterfully finishing a counter with a left foot shot directly into the top corner.

Earlier, Kluivert had signed the second for the Valencians with a trademark play that culminated in a mince at the exit of Mariño, prior to a solitary run from the center of the field. Already in the second half, Gattuso's men threatening the local goal again and again in search of a higher income.

Thus, Samuel Lino increased the advantage after the hour of play after completing a good play on the left wing that once again had Kluivert as the protagonist. The Dutch player was the great nightmare of a local team that had to defend itself tooth and nail until the end of the match. Gattuso's team did not give up an iota of intensity, closing the clash with a barrage of chances that did not materialize.

In addition, Athletic Club also sealed their pass to the next round in San Mamés. Óscar de Marcos' goal was enough to scare away the ghosts of their last league defeat against Real Sociedad (3-1) and stop the good moment of a parakeet team that reached the game unbeaten in the last six games in all competitions.

Like this, after the initial score, the ones of Ernesto Valverde ended up doing with the handle of a meeting with which they did not want to speculate. Although it was difficult for them to break the defensive tangle of the parrots, the Basques found the prize of the goal before the half hour of the game was over. De Marcos culminated a great play between Zarraga and Sancet after a masterful heel assist from the latter.

Espanyol did not approach the goal defended by Agirrezabala throughout the first half, a poor image that forced Diego Martínez's men to take a step forward after the restart. Thus, although he came out thrown, his lack of effectiveness and forcefulness was too great a ballast that Athletic did not miss.

With the passing of the minutes, the 'Txingurri' team controlled the middle of the field to close the clash and stop any attempt to come back for perica. Although they were able to extend their lead with a volley from Sancet, the score did not move again.