Athletic and Málaga gain upper hand in Copa del Rey

The first leg of the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey got underway on Tuesday 6 January with two thrilling matches full of excitement, goals and good football. Athletic Club and Málaga CF managed to overcome RC Celta and Levante UD, respectively, to take an important step towards the next round of the tournament.

The Balaídos Stadium witnessed a vibrant encounter in which the Basque side claimed a valuable 2-4 victory over the Galicians. The game had barely kicked off when Mikel San José put the Rojiblancos ahead with just five minutes on the clock. Though Álex López made it all square on eleven minutes with a shot from the middle of the box off a good delivery from Augusto Fernández, Athletic immediately recouped their lead with an Aritz Aduriz header. Charles Dias levelled the match again in the early stages of the second half, but Ernesto Valverde’s men were undaunted and managed to subdue their opponents with a third goal, scored by Markel Susaeta, and another Aduriz score from the penalty spot.

At La Rosaleda, Málaga delighted their fans with a 2-0 victory over Levante. Juanpi Año opened the scoring early on, bagging an extraordinary goal on 16 minutes after losing several defenders and beating the keeper Jesús Fernández with a powerful left-footed strike. After enjoying several opportunities to extend their lead, Málaga were able to seal their victory through a Ricard Horta goal in the second half. The Portuguese footballer made it 2-0 after going past the Levante goalkeeper with a chipped pass which he collected himself before scoring in an empty goal.