In Football, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have cruised into the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey with thumping victories. Barcelona secured a resounding 5-1 victory over Real Betis at home. Gavi opened the scoreboard for Barca in just the third minute, while Jules Kounde doubled the lead with a powerful shot from a tight angle in the 27th minute. Raphinha in the 58th minute and Ferran Torres in the 67th minute added Barca’s third and fourth goals. Eight minutes later, Lamine Yamal made it to 5-NIL. Vitor Roque scored the lone goal for Betis with six minutes left to play.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid advanced to the last eight with a 4-NIL away win to second-division Elche. Alexander Sorloth started the scoring in the eighth minute after controlling a poor clearance. The Norwegian doubled Atletico’s lead from the penalty spot in the 29th minute. Rodrigo Riquelme further assured the win with Atletico’s third goal just after the hour, while Julian Alvarez completed the scoreboard with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Valencia, Leganes and Getafe also entered the quarterfinals. Valencia defeated Ourense, 2-NIL, while Leganes reached the quarterfinals with a stunning comeback, overturning a 2-1 deficit to claim a 3-2 victory against second-division leaders Almeria. Getafe cruised into the quarterfinals after defeating Pontevedra, 1-NIL. Real Madrid will take on Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid tonight.
