Former Al Jazira man Felipe Caicedo sends Espanyol into Copa del Rey quarters with double

The former Al Jazira striker came on as a substitute and scored twice to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Valencia on Tuesday night as Espanyol reached the Copa del Rey last eight.

Espanyol's Felipe Caicedo celebrates after scoring one of his two goals to put the club through to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals over Valencia on Tuesday. Alejandro Garcia / EPA / January 13, 2015

Associated Press

Jan 14, 2015

Late substitute Felipe Caicedo, recently of Al Jazira, scored twice to give Espanyol a 2-0 win over 10-man Valencia on Tuesday and a place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

Espanyol advanced 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-1 at Valencia.

Malaga also moved into the last eight, losing 3-2 to Levante on the night but coming through 4-3 on aggregate.

Valencia played a man down from the 13th minute after Shkodran Mustafi lost the ball under pressure from Sergio Garcia and then fouled him when the forward only had the goalkeeper to beat.

The visitors resisted until Caicedo headed home Salva Sevilla’s free kick in the 79th minute – just four minutes after coming on. The Ecuador striker, who has had a subdued first season at Espanyol, received a heavy knock from goalie Yoel Rodriguez as he made contact with the ball, but jumped right back up and stripped off his shirt to celebrate.

Caicedo struck again with a minute left, after controlling Lucas Vazquez’s squared pass.

“Caicedo needed something like this. I am happy for him,” Espanyol manager Sergio Gonzalez said. “I hope it can be the first of many goals.

“The sending off was important but it doesn’t take away from what we did well. We played a great match.”

Malaga had won the first meeting with Levante 2-0 and looked to have taken full control of the second leg after goals by Ricardo Horta in the 22nd minute and Jose “Recio” Garcia in the 38th.

But David Barral sparked Levante’s rally, scoring twice after coming on in the 60th. The striker pulled a goal back in the 71st before adding another with a great solo effort three minutes later. He then headed on a corner kick for Juanfran Garcia to net Levante’s third in the 85th.

Barral received an ovation from the smattering of fans at Ciutat de Valencia Stadium when he was sent off with a second booking in the 90th after he used his arm to knock the ball into the net.

Defending champions Real Madrid visits Atletico Madrid on Thursday needing to overturn a 2-0 first-leg loss. Barcelona, meanwhile, visit Elche with a 5-0 advantage.

In other last-16 ties on Wednesday, it’s: Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad v Villarreal, Getafe v Almeria, and Sevilla v Granada.