MADRID: Atletico Madrid thrashed third-tier Rayo Majadahonda 5-0 away in the Copa del Rey to reach the last 16 on Thursday.

A year after Atleti suffered a humiliating 1-0 loss to Unio Esportiva Cornella in the last-32, manager Diego Simeone played a full-strength side against their neighbours, ensuring there was no chance of any surprises this time.

Matheus Cunha, Renan Lodi and Luis Suarez gave Atletico a comfortable lead in the first half. Antoine Griezmann, who came off injured, and Joao Felix wrapped up the win after the break.

“Of course, the Cup is a priority for us,” Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha told reporters. “You have to win regardless of who you are. The most important thing is to win and advance.”

It was a solid performance by Atletico the day after holders Barcelona and Real Madrid had trouble beating lower-tier sides.

They joined Sevilla, Cadiz, Elche, Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Valencia, Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano, Mallorca and third-tier Atletico Baleares.

Two top-tier sides were eliminated on Thursday by lower division teams. Unai Emery’s Villar­real lost 2-1 at Sporting Gijon and Osasuna went down 1-0 at Girona, with both second-tier clubs also advancing into the last-16.

Moi Gomez put Villarreal ahead just after halftime, only for Djuka Durdevic to level before defender Bogdan Milovanov struck the winner for the hosts with two minutes left.

“We congratulate them. They played their game, took advantage of their chances and got the win,” said Emery, whose side entered the match on a six-game winning streak across all competitions.

Osasuna was ousted after they failed to recover from an early goal by David Junc.

Elche avoided the same fate after fighting back 2-1 at second-division leaders Almeria with Raul Guti scoring the 84th-minute winner.

Cadiz needed a stoppage-time goal from Tomas Alarcon to eke out a 1-0 win at Fuenlabrada.

Sevilla had an easier time at Zaragoza and moved on after Jules Kounde and Rafa Mir scored in each half for a 2-0 victory.

Nico Williams scored his first two goals since becoming a regular starter for Athletic Bilbao this season to secure a 2-0 win at Atletico Mancha.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2022