A goal and assist by USMNT starter Yunus Musah pushed Valencia past Utrillas while Shaq Moore and Tenerife needed an overtime winner to move past their lower-league foes.
CD Utrillas 0 – 3 FC Valencia
Yunus Musah put on a man-of-the-match performance for Valencia on Thursday evening, scoring one goal and setting up another as they eased past Utrillas into the next round of the Copa del Rey.
With a gulf of talent separating Valencia and their sixth-division foes on Thursday, the eventual end result was hardly ever in doubt; only the ruthlessness with which Los Murciélagos would deal with their overwhelmed hosts was up for question.
After being a bench option since returning from the latest international break, the young American Musah was in starting lineup, positioned on the right side of a four-man midfield.
After 27 minutes, he already left his mark on the game, pulling down a long, forward pass on the right flank, advancing it towards the endline before hitting a soft cross towards the middle. Maxi Gomez was in the ball’s path, but saw that his strike partner Marcos André had a better line on goal, so he left it for his teammate to strike home for the 1-0 lead.
André’s strike for what appeared to be a 2-0 lead just before the break was called back for offside, however the American was on-target seven minutes after the intermission to increase their advantage.
After a handball by Utrillas in the area, Denis Cheryshev stepped up for the ensuing spot kick but saw his attempt initially saved, only to have Musah rush in and emphatically finish with a strike from the right into the far side netting.
That effectively sealed the result, however the visitors wanted more, and put the game well out of reach in the 70th minute after French prospect Koba Koindredi struck a precision free kick to seal the final 3-0 win.
For his efforts, Musah was named by the club as their man-of-the-match.
Valencia next face fourth-level club CD Arenteiro in two weeks in the next round, but will turn their sight temporarily towards their La Liga campaign, which sees them visiting Celta Vigo on Sunday and hosting Elche six days afterwards.
Unami CP 0 – 3 Deportivo Alaves
Matt Miazga returned to the Alaves defense on Tuesday evening, playing the full 90 minutes in the heart of the defense as a trio of second-half goals eventually saw them move past Unami CP into the next round.
The plucky sixth-level hosts did well to frustrate their visitors, holding them scoreless until Swedish forward John Guidetti put Alaves on the right path in the 66th minute.
Manu Garcia advanced into the area on the left, and rolled a cross in front of goal which the Swede easily tapped in for the lead.
The visitors needed until the final ten minutes to put some breathing room between them and their hosts, with Mamadou Sylla pulling the keeper off his line in the 82nd minute to score from 15 yards out, then Luis Rioja slipping in behind the Unami defenders unabated in injury time to strike the final blow, which ricocheted off the crossbar and over the line.
Miazga and Alaves will next face third-tier Linares Deportivo in mid-December’s next round of matches on Friday midday, but will already have their Friday visit to Granada on their minds.
CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas 1 – 2 CD Tenerife
Shaq Moore and Tenerife saved the party until late on their trip to Ibiza on Thursday night, having to come back from a goal down, but eventually squeaking by their opponents in overtime to barely advance.
Moore played the full 120 minutes on the right side of the defense as usual starter Jérémy Mellot was given a rest, and contributed, albeit indirectly, to the late winning goal.
The fourth-division island club jumped to an unexpected lead 12 minutes into the second half in impressive fashion, with Samuel Álex Pinto receiving the ball in an open position on the left side of Tenerife’s area, and striking a blast just inside the far post.
The visitors responded well, and equalized eight minutes later from the spot; Emmanuel Apeh was tripped up as he worked his way towards goal, and Michel nailed his attempt to the left side of goal.
With neither team being able to make any headway through the rest of regulation, the game was sent into an additional 30 minutes of overtime, where Tenerife finally found their winner in the 103rd.
This time Moore was the catalyst, striking a low shot from distance that forced the Ibiza keeper into a diving save. In the melee that ensued around the loose ball, Victor Mollejo finally struck from short-range, ensuring the victory.
Having advanced to the next round, Tenerife have a relatively tough matchup, as they will host fellow La Liga 2 team Eibar in two weeks. Meanwhile, they will attempt to continue pushing for promotion when they visit FC Cartagena on Monday.
Notes
Matthew Hoppe is still out injured, and did not participate in Mallorca’s needlessly uncomfortable 2-0 overtime victory over fourth-division creampuffs Gimnastica Segoviana. Mallorca have drawn fourth-level UD Llanera for the next round, however Hoppe will likely still be out according to earlier reports.