Football
ESPN staff 7y

Copa del Rey: Barca beat Athletic Club with second-leg rally; Alcorcon win

Lionel Messi broke Athletic Bilbao's hearts with a late free kick as Barcelona's big guns kept their Copa del Rey hopes alive and advanced to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Messi struck with 12 minutes remaining at the Nou Camp to seal a 3-1 win on the night and a 4-3 aggregate victory to ensure Luis Enrique's men made it to the last eight.

Barca went into the second leg trailing 2-1 and knowing failure to end a run of two games without victory would spell disaster in front of a crowd of 71,445.

However, Luis Suarez cancelled out Bilbao's advantage with his 100th goal for the club before the break and Neymar struck from the penalty spot after the restart before Enric Saborit pulled one back.

Messi's contribution ultimately sealed victory with a goal which means he, Suarez and Neymar have now scored a staggering 302 between them since joining forces.

Earlier, Alcorcon saw off fellow Segunda Division side Cordoba 2-1 to reach the first Copa quarterfinal in the team's history.

Federico Piovaccari got the hosts off on the right foot in the first half, but second-half goals from David Rodriguez and Ivan Alejo ensured passage for Alcorcon after the first leg ended in a 0-0 draw.

Real Sociedad and Villarreal finished in a 1-1 second-leg draw, with the former advancing 4-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight.

Mikel Oyarzabal had La Real out in front early, but Villarreal levelled matters before the break with a goal from Roberto Soriano. 

The visitors still had a two-goal advantage after winning 3-1 in the first leg and the deficit proved too much for Fran Escriba's men to overcome, with the hosts finishing with 10 players after an 89th-minute red card was given to Nicola Sansone.

Two away goals from the first leg helped Alaves advance past Deportivo La Coruna 3-3 on aggregate after the second leg finished in a 1-1 draw.

Edgar Mendez scored just before the break to put the hosts up 1-0, but their position became more precarious early in the second half when Theo Hernandez picked up a second yellow card, forcing his team to play the majority of the second 45 minutes with 10 men.

Depor pushed to take advantage and found their first when Alejandro Arribas headed home from a corner kick to make it 1-1. But Alaves were resolute and were able to hold onto the lead to win the tie.

Information from Press Association Sport was used in this report.

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