BARCELONA: Real Madrid are on the verge of reaching the Copa Del Rey quarter-finals after two penalties helped them to a healthy 3-0 win in the first leg of their tie with second-tier Numancia on Thursday while holders Barcelona still have work to do after being held to a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo as the La Liga giants rested their stars.
Gareth Bale was one of a handful of Real first-team regulars on display at the Estadio Los Pajaritos, and was on hand to slot home the first from the penalty spot ten minutes before the break after Lucas Vazques was clumsily brought down in the box by Carlos Gutierrez.
But the hosts remained in contention until they had midfielder Pape Diamanka sent off for a second booking on the hour.
Numancia still troubled Real with 10 men and almost levelled in the 76th when Inigo Perez snatched the ball from Marcos Llorente and launched a 40-yard shot over the head of keeper Kiko Cassila that thumped the crossbar and came agonisingly close to crossing the line.
“We had a few problems in the second half but it’s the result that counts,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. “It’s a good result for us.”
Substitute Isco finally put the result beyond doubt in the 88th after Vazquez earned another penalty when he was fouled by Unai Medina in the box.
Borja Mayoral then added a third goal with a header in stoppage time to give Numancia a near impossible task in the second leg at the Bernabeu on January 10.
“I’m happy we kept a clean sheet. We scored two goals from the penalty spot but they all count,” Real defender Nacho Fernandez told reporters.
“They hit the crossbar but overall we were strong in defence and didn’t suffer too much.”
Ousmane Dembele made his return from a long injury layoff as a second-half substitute but triple Cup holders Barca failed to win away to Celta for the third consecutive game in all competitions and head into the second leg at the Nou Camp on January 11 needing a win or a goalless draw to qualify for the quarters.
The 20-year-old France forward ruptured a thigh tendon in his left leg on September 16 in his third appearance with the team following a 105-million-euro ($124 million) move from Borussia Dortmund.
Dembele went on in the 72nd minute for reserve team striker Jose Arnaiz, who had poked in Andre Gomes’s low cross to complete a sweeping counter-attack to put Barca ahead in the 15th minute.
Denmark international Pione Sisto levelled for Celta in the 31st, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after Iago Aspas had hit the underside of the crossbar.
In Thursday’s other matches, Leganes beat Villareal 1-0 thanks to a Nordin Amrabat goal shortly after halftime while strikes from Jos Luis Morales and Ivan Lopez lvarez erased Gerard Moreno’s opener as Levante won 2-1 at Espanyol.
Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2018