Troubled
Spanish champions Real Madrid stumbled to a 2-2 draw with third tier Numancia
on Wednesday but qualified for the King’s Cup quarter-finals 5-2 on
aggregate.
With a
comfortable first-leg advantage, Zinedine Zidane rested much of his first team,
making 10 changes from the line-up that struggled to a disappointing draw at
Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Madrid
opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Lucas Vazquez heading home Dani
Carvajal’s deep cross when left unmarked at the back post.
Numancia hit
back in the 45th minute, however, with substitute Guillermo, just on for the
injured Higinio Marin, applying the finishing touch to a stunning breakaway
goal.
Dani Nieto
charged into space and fed Marc Mateu on the left, who delivered the perfect
low cross for Guillermo to finish and delight the small band of travelling fans
at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vazquez, who
won two penalties for Madrid in the first leg, slammed home his second from
close range in the 59th minute.
But
Guillermo pegged back Madrid again with a brilliant header to cap a superb
display and a fine result for his team.
Numancia’s
Dani Calvo was sent off in the dying minutes for a cynical foul to stop Isco
that earned him a second yellow card.
Earlier,
Leganes reached the quarterfinals for the first time in their history after
losing 2-1 at Villarreal but progressing on away goals after their 1-0
first-leg win at Butarque.
Leganes
winger Nabil El Zhar scored a delicious chip to break the deadlock, with Dani
Raba’s well-taken strike and Denis Cheryshev’s late winner completing a
Villarreal comeback.
It was
however not enough to send the hosts through.
Last
season’s King’s Cup runners-up Alaves beat third division Fomentera 2-0 to wrap
up a 5-1 aggregate win thanks to second-half goals from Ermedin Demirovic and
Alfonso Pedraza.
On Thursday,
Levante host Espanyol, Cadiz travel to Sevilla and holders Barcelona welcome
Celta Vigo to the Nou Camp. (Reuters/NAN)
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