Copa del Rey: Partey volley takes Atletico to last 16

Beat Reus 1-0 to secure 3-1 aggregate success

MADRID: Thomas Partey scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid as they reached the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 1-0 home victory over third-tier Reus on Thursday that secured a 3-1 aggregate success.

It was relatively plain sailing for Spain’s top flight clubs as Villarreal, Celta Vigo and Granada all came through ties against second-tier opponents.

Villarreal beat Huesca 2-0 to go through 4-3 on aggregate, Celta Vigo downed Almeria 1-0 to win 4-1 over two legs and Granada won 1-0 against Leganes to progress on away goals having drawn the tie 2-2.

Partey volleyed into the bottom corner from 25 metres after 53 minutes as a second-string Atletico dominated against their lower league opponents but lacked the finishing touch in the first half.



The 2013 Copa del Rey winners are in fine form having won nine straight matches in all competitions. They are joint top of La Liga with Barcelona on 35 points and have reached the knockout stage of the Champions League.

“We knew that it wouldn’t be an easy game and with the stadium half empty we had to be motivated,” Atletico keeper Miguel Angel Moya told reporters. “We had chances which we didn’t take but kept going and the goal came.”

A Daniel Wass freekick gave Celta Vigo a 1-0 victory over Almeria and a Youssef El-Arabi goal gave Granada a 1-0 win over Leganes.



Barcelona are already in the last 16 having beaten Villanovense at the start of the month after the tie was brought forward due to their participation in the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid were thrown out of the competition having fielded an ineligible player in their first-leg game against Cadiz.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.