Sevilla reach Copa del Rey quarters despite loss

Seville (Spain): Sevilla lost 0-1 to Athletic Club in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie, but advanced 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a dominating performance last week in Bilbao.

Athletic were more energetic than Sevilla in the third contest between the two clubs in the space of a week, following the Copa first leg and last weekend’s La Liga contest, both played on the Basques’ home ground at San Mames, reports Efe news.

Neither side generated a serious threat during the first 45 minutes on Wednesday in front of more than 26,000 spectators at Seville’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium here.

Munir El Haddadi, who joined Sevilla last week from Barcelona, remedied the lack of action with a strike in the first minute of the second half that caught Athetic goalkeeper Unai Simon unawares, though the ball ended up in the side netting.

Chances materialised at both ends of the pitch, but the clock was on Sevilla’s side and Gorka Guruzeta’s goal for the visitors in the 76th minute came too late to be the springboard for a comeback. (IANS)

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