Copa del Rey: Atletico comeback to defeat fourth-tier Cacereno, Osasuna advance

Atletico Madrid mounted a remarkable comeback by scoring three goals in the latter stages of the second half, overcoming an initial deficit to secure a 3-1 victory against fourth-division Cacereno, thereby advancing to the last 32 of the Spanish Copa del Rey on Thursday.

Competing under challenging conditions at the modest Principe Felipe stadium in Extremadura, Atletico, managed by Diego Simeone, faced an unexpected setback when Cacereno's Alvaro Merencio netted the opening goal in the 30th minute following a swift counter-attack.

Cacereno's goalkeeper, Diego Nieves, delivered an impressive performance, making several crucial saves to keep the hopes of the 7,000 local supporters alive. However, Atletico equalized in the 83rd minute when Rodrigo De Paul delivered an exquisite cross that was headed in by Clement Lenglet.

The situation worsened for Cacereno when midfielder Jaime Sancho received a second yellow card for a tactical foul, reducing his team to ten players. Atletico's substitute, Julian Alvarez, nearly scored from a free kick, but the referee disallowed the attempt.

In a heated moment, Atletico coach Diego Simeone was shown a straight red card for his protests regarding the decision. Nevertheless, his team took the lead two minutes into stoppage time when De Paul scored with a deflected shot, followed by Alvarez adding a third goal on a counter-attack.

Earlier on Thursday, Osasuna staged a comeback to defeat the lower-ranked Ceuta 3-2, while several other LaLiga teams failed to progress to the last 32.

Girona was eliminated on penalties by fourth-division Logrones on Wednesday, and Villarreal suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Pontevedra, courtesy of a last-minute goal from Dalisson de Almeida.

Espanyol was ousted on Tuesday after a 2-0 loss to the lower-tier Barbastro.

Valladolid required extra time to secure a 4-2 victory over Real Avila, while Leganes advanced by defeating fourth-division Estepona 3-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.

Valencia, Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Las Palmas, and Rayo Vallecano all progressed with convincing victories.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will join the competition in the next round.

SportsLigue