Copa del Rey Round-Up: Two giant-killings as La Liga sides taken to the limits

Dec 5, 2025 - 09:45

The Copa del Rey Second Round brought two major giant-killings this week, as Catalan sides Espanyol and Girona both exited the competition. They were not the only sides pushed to the very limit though.

Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez described their defeat to Atletico Baleares (1-0) as a ‘giant cock-up’, as one of the form teams in La Liga exited in remarkable fashion. Meanwhile Girona were also dumped out by Oursense 2-1 in Galicia. Scoring in the first minute, and then grabbing the winner with more than half an hour to hold out, they secured a famous victory over Michel Sanchez’s ailing side.

Valencia, Celta Vigo and Villarreal escape disaster

However they were not the only La Liga sides in peril, with Villarreal needing penalties (5-3) to get past Antoniano in the fourth tier. Valencia had a remarkable comeback against Cartagena, saving a penalty with two minutes to go in extra time. A man down after Baptiste Santamaria’s red card in extra time, Jesus Vazquez grabbed a 120th-minute winner.

¿Un gol en el último minuto de la prórroga?
Es muy de Copa esto…
¡Así se ha clasificado el @valenciacf gracias al tanto de Jesús Vázquez!#CopaDelReyMAPFRE | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/uVUuZxqbGb
— RFEF (@rfef) December 4, 2025

Meanwhile Celta Vigo were also on the verge of disaster against Sant Andreu. Following a 1-1 draw, 13 straight penalties were scored before Sant Andreu missed. The Galicians also went down to 10 men in the 113th minute, after Carlos Dominguez was dismissed, and Getafe also needed extra time to get past Navalcarnero.

As participants in the Spanish Supercup, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club received a bye for the first two rounds. They enter next week’s draw for the Round of 32, which will take place the following week.

Leganes elimination costs Paco Lopez his job

While it was not necessarily a giant-killing, Albacete did go away to Leganes and secure a 2-1 victory. It turned out to be Paco Lopez’s final game in charge at Butarque, with Los Pepineros dismissing him shortly after the game. Leganes are perched 18th in Segunda, level on points with Andorra in the drop zone, just months after relegation from La Liga.