Copa del Rey 2016: Results, Reaction from Thursday's Quarter-Final, Leg 1 Games
Valencia drew 1-1 with Las Palmas in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final encounter Thursday, coming from behind in the second half to earn a share of the spoils.
Wilfried Zahibo headed an own goal shortly before the half-time whistle to give the visitors the advantage, but skipper Paco Alcacer rescued the result with a crisp finish.
Sevilla crept past Segunda Division side Mirandes in the night's other Copa match, edging the encounter, 2-0, in Andalusia, Spain, scoring late into injury time to double their advantage.
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Here are the latest results from Thursday's cup fixtures:
| Valencia | 1-1 | Las Palmas |
| Sevilla | 2-0 | Mirandes |
Thursday Recap
It was another troublesome night for new Valencia coach Gary Neville, as the Englishman watched his side struggle at home to La Liga relegation candidates Las Palmas.
The visitors started brightly as they passed the ball through midfield, but they were initially unable to penetrate the Los Che back line.
However, it was Valencia who almost grabbed the lead in the early stages, as Alcacer ran through on goal, but the attacker could only fire his shot at Las Palmas goalkeeper Raul Lizoain.
Neville's side gradually wrested control in front of a small crowd at Mestalla Stadium, but Los Amarillos rallied and scored a shock opener.
Zahibo was the culprit for the home side, heading past his own goalkeeper to give Las Palmas a precious advantage shortly before the interval.
Football writer Sid Lowe called the action, highlighting Las Palmas' lack of action in the attacking third, despite being pleasing on the eye:
The teams returned after half-time with Neville looking displeased with events, and his team responded in a positive fashion.
Valencia were back on level terms just after the hour-mark after a rasping finish from the impressive Alcacer.
The captain for the night struck from the edge of the area, giving Lizoain little chance with his low, driven effort.
Los Che celebrated the moment on social media:
Neville rolled the dice in the last 10 minutes, throwing on Alvaro Negredo in hope of earning a winning goal.
However, the visitors dug in as the Valencia threat ebbed away, and they earned a great position to take into the second leg.
Alcacer had a great chance to rob Las Palmas in the final moments of the game, but the goalscoring hero made a mess of his opportunity when it was easier to hit the target.
The Press Association's Richard Martin commented on the discourse from the Valencia crowd at the final whistle:
Sevilla made tough work of their mid-table Segunda opposition Thursday night, beating the minnows by a solitary goal until the 94th minute before adding a further killer strike.
Mirandes midfielder Fran Carnicer almost gave the away side a shock goal in the first half, but the 24-year-old couldn't produce the goods for his team, blasting his right-footed shot high and wide.
Midfielder Steven N'Zonzi gave Sevilla the lead after 20 minutes, making sure of his finish from close range, and they retained the advantage through half-time.
Los Nervionenses played within themselves after the break, allowing their opponents to sit tight, and it appeared they were going to fail to grab a vital second strike.
Vicente Iborra, Ever Banega and Yevhen Konoplyanka all squandered good opportunities, but Sevilla broke Mirandes' hearts with a goal deep into stoppage time, as Vitolo finished from close range after an assist from Michael Krohn-Dehli.
It was a strange night for two of La Liga's bigger clubs, but Valencia and Sevilla will be expected to proceed to the semi-finals in due course.
Neville has a myriad of problems at the Mestalla, as the former pundit finds life extremely difficult in the technical area.
The Englishman needs to restructure his starting XI in the coming weeks and find a way of motivating his troops to finish in the European places in La Liga.
If the coach fails to do this, his tenure at one of Spain's great teams could be prematurely cut short.
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