Atletico Madrid moved on to the Copa del Rey semifinals Wednesday with a convincing 5-0 win against Real Betis. New acquisition Ademola Lookman scored in his first game for the Rojiblanco.
According to AFP, Diego Simeone’s team made it to the semifinals of the cup competition together with holders Barcelona, 2024 winners Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad.
Atletico’s barnstorming first half in Seville set up the win. They quickly took a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, and Lookman.
The 28-year-old Nigerian moved to Atletico from Serie A team Atalanta on deadline day for a reputed 40 million euros ($47 million).
And Lookman, who was named African Player of the Year in 2024, scored his first goal in no time at all. He dribbled around two defenders and blasted past goalkeeper Adrian on 37 minutes.
Antoine Griezmann ended the quarter-final tie not long after the hour mark. Lookman showed off his incredible speed on the break again, this time setting up the 2018 World Cup champion for a left-footed finish.
Thiago Almada scored late to end a great game for the third-place team in La Liga at La Cartuja.
Inaki Williams scored the winning goal in the 96th minute to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 win against Valencia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Before Williams’ late show, Sadiq Umar had already scored twice for the home team in the first half.
Their Basque country rivals Real Sociedad also made it through by beating Alaves, their neighbors, 3-2.
The visitors were behind 2-1 in the last 15 minutes, but Goncalo Guedes and Orri Oskarsson scored to turn the game around.
Barcelona made it to the Copa del Rey semifinals with a tense 2-1 win over Albacete, a team in the second tier, on Tuesday. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo aided.
About the Author
