Midfielder Victor Ormazabal's 80th-minute goal gave minnows Pontevedra a 1-0 win over Zaragoza in a first-leg match of the Copa del Rey's fourth round on Wednesday.
Victor turned home a pass by substitute Xavi More to bring the third division team hope of advancing past the six-time cup winners when the teams meet again in Zaragoza on Jan. 2.
In other first-leg matches, it was: Las Palmas 2, Villarreal 4; Valladolid 1, Murcia 1; Levante 2, Almeria 1; Malaga 0, Racing Santander 0; and Xerez 0, Recreativo Huelva 1.
Lying second in the first division, Villarreal carried their good form into Spain's knockout competition with a victory over Las Palmas, currently last in the second flight.
Villarreal made a confident start courtesy of early goals by striker Guille Franco and midfielder Robert Pires.
However, Sergio Suarez halved the deficit with a 40th-minute penalty and his twin Francis Suarez fired Las Palmas' equalizer on the hour.
Franco spurned a chance to win the match with 10 minutes remaining when his penalty kick was saved by goalkeeper Angel Pindado.
Las Palmas captain David Garcia was dismissed in the 84th minute and Villarreal made the most of their numerical advantage when midfielder Bruno Soriano and Franco added late goals.
Murcia striker Fernando Baiano gave his side a 48th minute lead at first division rivals Valladolid, with Diego Camacho equalizing seven minutes later.
Levante striker Mustapha Riga scored in the third and 42nd minutes to decide another game between two top flight sides.
Almeria replied through forward Natalio Lorenzo in the 19th minute and teammate Jose Luis Cabrera was ejected 40 minutes later.
Santander played out a stalemate with second division leaders Malaga.
Recreativo Huelva enjoyed better luck at second division strugglers Xerez, with midfielder Javier Camunas netting the game's only goal in the 88th minute.
Top flight clubs Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and others have opted to play their first legs next month to avoid being affected by international call-ups.
All of the second legs will be played on Jan. 2.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tomorrow for the final berth at next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The home team's loss means that Nicaragua finishes No. 1 in the qualifier round held in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to the games. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier yesterday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, finished third, while South Africa placed at the bottom
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