12/17/25 03:12:00
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12/17 15:11 CST Villarreal eliminated by 2nd-division club Racing in Copa del
Rey, Atletico beats Baleares
Villarreal eliminated by 2nd-division club Racing in Copa del Rey, Atletico
beats Baleares
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) --- Villarreal was eliminated by second-division club Racing
Santander in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, while Atletico
Madrid earned a hard-fought win over fourth-tier team Atletico Baleares.
Villarreal, sitting third in the Spanish league and enjoying one of its best
campaigns in years, lost 2-1 to Racing after conceding twice in the first half.
Ayoze Prez scored in the 86th but Villarreal couldn't complete the comeback.
Juan Carlos Arana netted both goals for the hosts.
It was the second straight defeat for Villarreal in all competitions --- it was
coming off a 3-2 home loss to Copenhagen in the league phase of the Champions
League. In the Spanish league, Villarreal has won six matches in a row.
Atletico survives
Antoine Griezmann scored a goal in each half as Atletico held on for a 3-2 win
over Atletico Baleares.
Atletico led 2-0 and 3-1, but the hosts kept threatening to the end. Baleares
missed an 80th-minute penalty before pulling closer in the 90th. Giacomo
Raspadori also scored for Atletico.
It was the third win in a row for Diego Simeone's team in all competitions
after it had lost two consecutive in the Spanish league, where it sits in
fourth place behind Villarreal.
Barcelona needed late goals by Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford to
defeat third-division club Guadalajara 2-0 on Tuesday. The other first-division
clubs that advanced were Real Sociedad and Valencia, but Mallorca lost to
second-division team Deportivo La Coruna.
Real Madrid later plays at third-division club Talavera.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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