MADRID, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid were made to work hard before booking their place in the second round of the Copa del Rey with a 2-0 win away to Unio Esportiva Vic on Thursday.
Atletico, the biggest spenders in La Liga this season, needed a late penalty to open the scoring against a team of amateurs playing five levels below them.
A team made up of players whose day jobs include a PE teacher, a builder, a mechanic, and an employee in a mattress factory held Atletico at bay and even created chances of their own before Julian Alvarez, who cost 85 million euros from Manchester City in the summer, netted an 81st-minute penalty after a questionable decision from referee Cuadra Fernandez.
Fernandez sent off a Vic defender for complaining about his decision, and Alvarez added a second goal in the closing moments of the game.
Espanyol also had to work hard in their match against sixth-tier rivals San Tirso, going in 0-0 at halftime before Alejo Velez opened the scoring in the 54th minute.
Velez finished with a hat-trick, with Irvin Cardona also scoring, but the last three goals arrived in the final five minutes, showing that it had been a closer game than the final score suggests.
Real Betis had fewer problems against Gevora, who also play five levels below them, with Sergi Altimira, Assane Diao, and Cedric Bakambu putting them 3-0 up by the 28th minute.
Juanmi and Vitor Roque, with two goals, completed the scoring for the home side before Juanma's injury-time penalty gave Gevora a consolation goal.
Las Palmas striker Jaime Mata scored four goals as his side beat Ontinena 7-0 to continue their positive run under new coach Diego Martinez.
So far, every top-flight side in action has reached the second round, with four matches still to be played due to the floods affecting the east of Spain. ■
