Copa del Rey 2017: Round of 16, Leg 2 Results and Updated Fixtures After Tuesday
Atletico Madrid are through to the quarter-final of the 2017 Copa del Rey, despite losing 3-2 to Las Palmas at the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday. Two goals from Croatian striker Marko Livaja and a late winner from Mateo Garcia cancelled out strikes from Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa for the hosts in the second leg of this last-16 tie.
Atleti still made it through, 4-3 on aggregate, but the Madrid club hardly served notice to their rivals they are a team to be feared in this competition.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone will bemoan some defensive lapses. He'll also know those mistakes have given hope to rivals such as Real Madrid and holders Barcelona, who won't believe Atletico are strong enough to win the tournament.
Los Blancos are in action against Sevilla on Thursday, already armed with a three-goal lead. By contrast, Barca will hope to reverse a 2-1 deficit when they host Athletic Bilbao in the second leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Here are the upcoming fixtures:
| Date | Time | Match |
| Wednesday, January 11 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Alaves vs. Deportivo La Coruna |
| Wednesday, January 11 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Cordoba vs. Alcorcon |
| Wednesday, January 11 | 6 p.m./1p.m. | Villarreal vs. Real Sociedad |
| Wednesday, January 11 | 8.15 p.m./3.15 p.m. | Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao |
| Thursday, January 12 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Celta Vigo vs. Valencia |
| Thursday, January 12 | 6 p.m./1 p.m. | Eibar vs. Osasuna |
| Thursday, January 12 | 8.15 p.m./3.15 p.m. | Sevilla vs. Real Madrid |
Recap
Griezmann was a surprise inclusion in the Atleti starting XI, with many top clubs often opting to rest their star names for cup competitions. However, Simeone's decision to risk his primary goal-getter was vindicated when Griezmann broke the deadlock shortly after the half-time break.
Before then, though, the crowd at the Vicente Calderon was forced to sit through a sluggish opening 45 minutes.
Euan McTear of Marca summed up things in less than flattering, but painfully accurate, terms:
Similarly, ESPN's Dermot Corrigan felt the first half lacked inspiration. Instead, Corrigan bemoaned how some of Atletico's fringe players weren't making the most of their chances to stake claims for more playing time:
Winger Nicolas Gaitan may have struggled to assert himself before the break, but he was at the heart of Atleti's opener. The former Benfica man teed up Griezmann for the simplest of finishes.
Corrigan pointed how a rested Griezmann is now back on form in front of goal:
Atletico had grafted their way into the lead, but Las Palmas weren't about to wilt. Rather, bullish centre-forward Livaja powered past a normally formidable defence to equalise.
His goal had finally prompted more attacking intent from the hosts. Simeone's men moved the ball quicker and got extra numbers forward, aided by the intelligent distribution of substitute Gabi.
The bolder approach didn't take long to yield a second goal. It came courtesy of another of the first-half strugglers, Correa.
His cheeky finish was the cue for Simeone to withdraw Griezmann with the league program in mind. Atleti favourite Fernando Torres entered the fray in the Frenchman's place.
To their credit, the visitors still refused to buckle. Livaja tapped in to complete his brace, following a rare occasion when Atleti right-back Juanfran was found wanting defensively.
There were more holes in what's usually a miserly defence when Garcia stole in unmarked to complete the scoring and give Las Palmas an unlikely win and some healthy consolation for going out.
Being strong at the back has been Atletico's calling card on Simeone's watch. He'll need to restore that solidity ahead of the last eight.
If not, the competition's big guns won't fret the threat from Atleti.
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