The Atletico of Madrid road in Copa del Rey finished at The Romareda Stadium, where they fell eliminated against Zaragoza in a gripping match typical of the K.O competition. The red-and-whites showed up although it was tough, and they overcame a 2-0 with the help of their courage, breed and struggle. Finally, the lonely goal of Ewerthon at Vicente Calderon was crucial for the result of the round, the definitive good-bye of the Copa del Rey from Atletico.

Pepe Murcia didn't hide his intentions and he surprised everybody with a very offensive approach, aligning a rhombus formed by Peter Luccin, Petrov, Galletti and Ibagaza, and leaving as strikers the society Torres-Kezman. The deployed offensive potential didn't take long to start the wheel in search of the two indispensable goals to pass the heat round, and the first chance arrived by a Fernando Torres’ action. The Captain went into Cesar's area and, after getting rid of several defenders, he was knocked down by an action that the referee didn't consider against the rules.

The general impression was that in any moment a goal from Atletico could arrive, something that got vanished when Cani, at minute 10, took advantage of the first arrival by Zaragoza to score the first goal of the night seizing a reject. The 1-0 seemed a lesser evil for an Atletico that, anyway, from the start he was forced to score two goals to pass the heat round, possibility went down when they recived the second goal after a play made by Cani and Oscar.

With a 3-0 in the total of the round, the overcome seemed an impossible dream, a dream that Atletico wasn’t willing to allow to escape: Pepe Murcia’s players, far from throwing the towel, they continued and they achieved results in a fighting action by Kezman. The Serbian get a reject inside Cesar's area and he reduced differences in the scoreboard. With the goal, the push of the red-and-white team didn't finish, since, few minutes for half-time, Ibagaza scared the stands of The Romareda Stadium with a shot that could’ve meant the tie.

The second half started like the first one finished, with an Atletico overturned searching the tie and a serious Zaragoza in defense, sometimes excessively hard, and trusting his options to electric fast-breaks. They were the red-and-whites whom, at the 61', achieved the reward to their courage thanks to a goal by Galletti. Fernando Torres stole the ball to Ponzio and he went into Zaragoza’s area, where he was knocked down, but the luck wanted that the reject went to stop at the boots of Galletti, who didn't forgive in his return to The Romareda Stadium. With the tie in the scoreboard, Pepe Murcia’s player saw close the classification and they went overturned in attack, something that increased the possibilities of Zaragoza for the fast-break. Both teams had chances, although finally there weren’t more change in the electronic and Atletico’ overcome wasn’t enough to achieve the classification.


Photo: J. A. Sirvent