Atlético, Villarreal and Valencia take a step towards the next round

The second day of the Copa del Rey round of sixteen first-leg matches left three victories and a draw in its wake. Villarreal CF and Valencia CF's solid performances were matched by that of Atlético Madrid, who defeated their nemesis 2-0 to take a giant step towards qualification.

In the clash between Villarreal and Real Sociedad, Denis Chéryshev was the standout player. He scored the goal that put Marcelino García-Toral's men ahead for the second-leg in the Anoeta (1-0).

There were plenty of thrills, spills and goals in the match of the night, between Atlético and Real Madrid CF in the Vicente Calderón. The Rojiblancos beat Carlo Ancelotti's men in the first cup match of the season, which coincided with Fernando Torres' return to the club.

The intensity led to an open game that was not decided until the second half, when Raúl García scored a penalty and centre-back José María Giménez sealed the 2-0 result by nodding home a corner.

Valencia added another victory to the one they earned against Real Madrid in the Liga BBVA, and they look like a strong candidate to advance to the next round of the cup. Goals from José Luis
Gayà and Álvaro Negredo, the latter from the penalty spot, were enough to defeat an RCD Espanyol who held onto a draw until the 86th minute. The Ché will visit Barcelona with a 2-1 lead.

Finally, UD Almería and Getafe CF drew 1-1 in a match that will be decided by next week's game. Verza was the hero and the villain of the match, as he scored an own goal for the Madrid side and also equalised with a penalty.