The first goal of the night was an omen. This bodes well for a wild game at the Estadio O Coto, as Ourense, from Union II, did not take a minute to make it 1-0 to Girona. Alvaro Yuste scored the goal with a solo header at the far post from a corner kick that Girona players did not bother to defend. They were content with a draw with Real Madrid in the league and were disconcerted by the trip to the misty north. After an hour and a half they were eliminated from the cup, after being eliminated 2-1 by a rival from the second federation, who expelled Oviedo in the first round. An act of heroism that could have been doubled by Antoniono, of the Second Union, had they eliminated Villarreal at the Libreja Stadium, an artificial turf mat that had Marcelino worried, and it was hardly the carpet on which the third-placed team in the league surrendered, an entire champions’ side forced to suffer even on penalties after a 1-1 scoreline for 19-year-old Jesús Garcia.
The cup could have ended in tragedy for Villarreal, who won on penalties. For Girona there was no salvation. Michel’s side equalized from the penalty spot – a mistake by Yuste specifically – but in the second half Ourense began to take control. With great poise and ability, Ourense won possession and Girona did not know how to respond. Al-Wehdati once again outperformed the Galician team. There was joy in the stands of O Couto. The kind of happiness felt by a young child who could not experience Torrent fans, another second association, moved to the Ciutat de Valencia. There they faced Betis, who quickly showed the quality of his attackers.
Rodrigo Riquelme made it 0-1 with a devastating right-foot effort, curling it in from outside the penalty area. And a surprise for goalkeeper Mark Dulles, although not as big as another shot from Riquelme before the break. The winger is struggling to win the starting position in Betis. He has just scored a brace against Palma del Rio in the first round of the cup and has not stopped at 0-1 in Valencia. A counter-attack that culminated in an unexpected way: a cut and spoon from the side of the penalty area to put the ball without an angle, between the crossbar and Dulles. The Madrid winger ended the dispute 3-0 and Betis ended up winning 1-4.
In other matches in which the first division teams participated, Real Sociedad saved the score 0-2 against Reus; Levante defeated Siezza from the Third Union with a score of 0-1; Elche beat Quintanar del Rey 1-2.