Calatayud howler sees Athletic through to Copa semi-finals

Athletic Club progressed to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey after a howler by Mallorca’s second choice goalkeeper Juan Calatayud allowed a tame Ivan Ramis back pass to roll over his foot and into the goal.

Other than the selection of Juan Calatayud in goal and Pedro Bigas at left back, Caparros named a full strength team in the hope of overturning a first leg deficit for the third time in this Copa del Rey campaign.

More to follow…

Teams

Real Mallorca (4-4-2): Calatayud; Cendrós (Castro 67′), Ramis , Chico , Bigas; Alfaro, Tissone, João Victor (Marti 78′), Pereira; Hemed (Victor 58′), Álvaro.
Substitutes: Aouate; Nunes, Martí Crespí; Castro, Pina, Martí; Víctor.

Athletic Club (4-2-3-1): Iraizoz; Iraola, Javi Martínez, Amorebieta , Aurtenetxe; Iturraspe, Ander (Inigo Perez 61′); Susaeta, de Marcos, Muniain (Toquero 39′); Llorente (San Jose 86′).
Substitutes: Fernández (gk); San José, Ekiza; Iñígo Pérez, David López; Toquero, Gómez.
Goal: Ramis 76′ o.g.

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Stadium: Iberostar Estadi, Palma de Mallorca
Attendance: tbc

As it happened

FULL-TIME: Real Mallorca 0-1 Athletic Club (agg: 0-3)

90 mins: Ramis was booked for dissent in all that. Not really sure what he had to complain about, really.

90 mins: Now that was just silly. Chico lunges into a challenge on Susaeta and the referee wastes no time in brandishing the red card. Caparros is so furious that he grabs Chico and pushes him away as he walks past. Chico then punches the subsitutes bench. Embarrassing.

86 mins – ATHLETIC CLUB SUBSTITUTION: San Jose comes on for Fernando Llorente.

81 mins: Chori Castro whips a ball in as Mallorca try and grab a consolation. Alfaro’s header is into the ground and goes wide. Sums the day up, really.

78 mins – REAL MALLORCA SUBSITUTION: Everything seems a bit pointless now. A poor match, summed up by its awful winner, is coming to a close. Nevertheless, Caparros brings Marti on for Joao Victor.

76 mins – ATHLETIC CLUB GOAL: You have to feel for Ivan Ramis there. It was the most simple of back passes in no dangerous situation. The ball rolls over the foot of a hapless Juan Calatayud. A God awful mistake from the number two giving reason to John Toshack’s statement that first choice goalkeepers should be used in the cup too. The fans start to walk out with plenty of hand gestures aimed at Calatayud and his team mates. Game over.

75 mins: Why, oh why, oh why? Castro plays a fantastic long ball which, for some reason, Victor decides to hit first time. Needless to say, it goes high wide and over. Hemed looks at him in despair.

73 mins: Joao Victor has picked up a knock after coming off worse for wear in a challenge with Inigo Perez. Looks as if he will try to run it off, however.

71 mins: Now that was a goalmouth scramble. Chori Castro whips a cross in that just needed a touch. No one can quite apply it before the ball is cleared for a corner. But time is fast running out for Los Bermellones.

70 mins: This is getting scrappy now. Athletic employing every trick in the book to halt Mallorca and stop them from getting any rhythym or flow. As things stand, Mallorca will bow out with a whimper.

69 mins: It’s not the largest crowd I’ve ever seen in Son Moix.

67 mins – REAL MALLORCA SUBSITUTION: Now this is an attacking chance. Chori Castro is on for Pau Cendros.

66 mins: That was perhaps the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in a long time. Pedro Bigas tries to take a throw for Mallorca and to stop him taking it quickly Toquero runs into him. The clash causes Toquero to fall over. Pathetic.

65 mins: First note worthy chance in a while. An Athletic free-kick is whipped in but the header is straight at Calatayud.

61 mins – ATHLETIC CLUB SUBSTITUTION: Inigo Perez replaces Ander.

61 mins: Yellow card for Ander for purposely pulling back Victor and stopping from breaking away on the counter. He is immediately replaced too.

58 mins – REAL MALLORCA SUBSTITUTION: In an attempt to bring some life into this Mallorca attack, Caparros calls for Victor Casadesus. He replaces Tomer Hemed.

57 mins: Another penalty appeal turned down for Mallorca. Pereira danced through two challenges before cutting inside in the area. He goes down under a challenge and the referee again waves appeals away. On first look it looked like a stone wall penalty. The replays show the referee has made a really good decision. Just looks like Pereira has lost balance as he’s cut inside.

53 mins: Alfaro wins possession on the edge of the area before tumbling to the ground inside it. Referee says play on. Whilst the challenge wouldn’t make him fall, he has been blocked off from making a shot… we’ve seen those given before…

50 mins: The first five minutes have been spent in Athletic’s half. No real chance to speak of yet.

45 mins: So we’re underway for the second half…

HALF-TIME: Real Mallorca 0-0 Athletic Club (agg: 0-2)
A dull first half in which, despite Athletic’s willingness to sit back and defend their aggregate lead, Mallorca have offered very little in the way of attack. The home side are set up in a formation which will allow them to attack without making any changes, and this must be along the lines in which Caparros is thinking at half-time.

43 mins: A mistake by Ramis almost lets Muniain in but the Mallorca veteran instead held the youngster back. For some reason he escapes a yellow. Free-kick is wasted.

39 mins – ATHLETIC CLUB SUBSTITUTION: Muniain is unable to run off that injury. Toquero is on in his place.

35 mins: Bigas’ poorly timed challenge has caused considerable pain for Iker Muniain.

34 mins: Joao Victor again does well to win possession and attack. In the end, Alejandro Alfaro’s long distance drive is deflected out for a corner. In turn, the corner comes to nothing.

29 mins: Joao Victor does well to win possession midway inside the Athletic half. Hemed drives into the area but can’t direct his shot under pressure. The game is currently balanced in Mallorca’s favour.

25 mins: Well, well, well. We’re finally here. After being plagued by some technical difficulties, it was the underdog – Microsoft Windows – that came through and triumphed in the end. Will there be a similar story this evening? It looks like we’ve not missed much. It’s 0-0.

Preview

It was like watching a scene from the English FA Cup. Segunda División B side Mirandés knocked out their third Primera Liga team of this season’s Copa del Rey drawing 1-1 with RCD Espanyol with a last minute goal to send them through on away goals. It is only the second time a team from this level has reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

The man who sent them through, and their top goalscorer, Pablo Infante is a bank clerk. And unless Messi or Ronaldo get a flurry of goals in the closing stages of this competition – he is likely to finish as the competition’s high goalscorer. And in the semi-finals, he and his team mates will meet the victors of this tie.

Athletic Club took a strong first leg lead – but we all know that this doesn’t mean everything. And Mallorca will be hoping to capitalise on any potential loss of confidence following Athletic’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the capital, despite taking an early lead through Fernando Llorente.

Joaquín Caparrós was so determined to turn this tie around that he even refused to name his 18-man squad until this morning. But upon the squad announcement, Marvin Ogunjimi (Achilles tendon), Gianni Zuiverloon (foot), Nsue (finger), Tejera (hamstring) and Kevin (fitness) all miss out through injury whilst Aki and Cáceres are both left out on ‘technical decisions’.