MADRID: La Liga’s heavyweights were both given a scare by third tier opponents in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday as Barcelona needed two late goals to beat Ibiza and Real Madrid dug deep for victory over Unionistas de Salamanca.

Barca sit 44 places ahead of Ibiza and Real 56 above Unionistas but the lowly duo both came close to extraordinary upsets, only for Ibiza to lose 2-1 and Unionistas 3-1 in front of their jubilant home fans.

With Lionel Messi rested and not even on the bench, Antoine Griez­mann proved the saviour for Barce­lona, scoring twice in the second half, including a 94th-minute winner, after Pep Caballe had given the hosts a fairytale lead at Can Misses.

“Scoring gave them confidence,” said Barca coach Quique Setien. “We were a bit sloppy, we gave the ball away and that gave them life. It wasn’t easy.”

Discomfort was more fleeting for Real, who conceded an equaliser in the second half following a brilliant run and finish from Unionistas’ Alvaro Romero, only to restore their advantage five minutes later.

Juan Gongora turned the ball into his own net after Gareth Bale, back from injury and illness, scored his first goal for his club since September 1.

Bale’s celebrations were notably muted and he had to go off in the second half.

“He sprained his ankle a little,” said coach Zinedine Zidane. “I don’t think it’s much but tomorrow we’ll see.”

At the end, Unionistas fans were waving their scarves with pride just as Ibiza’s supporters had applauded their team off, even though Griezmann had dashed their hopes just moments before.

Ibiza took a surprising early lead and came close to scoring again before the break. Barca’s ball possession reached 85% at one point, but they hardly threatened in attack. The team’s first shot on target was in the 68th, a low strike by Ivan Rakitic that was easily saved.

The second shot was Griezmann’s equaliser from inside the area after a nice through-ball by Frenkie De Jong. Griezmann’s winner was a low show into the far corner four minutes into stoppage time after a long pass by substitute Jordi Alba.

Bale ended an 11-match scoreless streak with a goal in the 18th minute of Real’s win against Unionistas.

Romero equalized in the 57th but Real took the lead again when Gongora turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Brahim Diaz, who then added a third in injury-time.

Elsewhere, holders Valencia beat Logrones 1-0 while Segunda strugglers Tenerife knocked out La Liga’s Real Valladolid with a surprise 2-1 win.

Athletic Bilbao escaped elimination against second-division club Elche thanks to a 5-4 win in a penalty shootout. The game finished 1-1 after extra time. Real Sociedad beat Espanyol 2-0 in a matchup of first-division clubs, while Villarreal eliminated Girona 3-0.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2020